Department for Transport

Aviation: Complaints

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department collects information from alternative dispute resolutions in respect of complaints about compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of cancellation of flights.

Jesse Norman: Compensation claims are handled directly by the individual airlines, rather than by the Department. The relevant EU Regulation 261/2004 establishes that it is the operating air carrier that is liable, and as a result the Department for Transport does not collect this specific information. The CAA monitors airline compliance with EC Regulation 261/2004 regularly, and where necessary the CAA has taken enforcement action against airlines. The link below illustrates the CAA’s role in relation to Alternative Dispute Resolution.http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1602_ADR%20in%20the%20aviation%20sector%20–%20a%20first%20review.pdf

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department agreed to the separation of the fleet maintenance and engineering functions relating to the West Coast Trains Limited franchise; whether his Department undertook at competitive tender relating to that separation of functions; and whether funds accrued to the public purse as a result of that separation of functions. .

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the separation of the fleet maintenance and engineering functions relating to the West Coast Trains Limited franchise, whether (a) assets were fully scrutinised and valued in relation to that separation of functions and (b) the pension funds of employees affected by that separation of functions received protections under the terms of the Railways Act 1993.

Joseph Johnson: The West Coast Main Line (WCML) Franchise was let by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF), a non-Departmental government body following a competition to Virgin Rail Group[1] (VRG). VRG, through a competitive process, procured both rolling stock and the separation of the fleet maintenance and engineering functions. West Coast Train Care, an Alstom company, took over responsibility for the Depots and Maintenance of all trains and the existing staff in the Depot. This was all included in VRG’s franchise bid for the WCML in 1997 thus the costs of this separation rested with the operator, while the taxpayer benefitted as a whole from the returns of the new 15 year franchise awarded. At the time of the WCML franchise award in 1997, the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF) procurement rules and procedures were followed. OPRAF, will have scrutinised bidder responses under the parameters set out in the ITT, including the separation of the fleet maintenance and engineering functions. The Franchisee (Virgin Rail Group) was responsible for compliance with the Railways Act 1993 in transferring employees from the operator to the maintainer.  [1] In its original entity – i.e. excluding Stagecoach

Heathrow Airport: Accidents

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents involving vehicles operated by Heathrow Airport Limited have been reported as having occurred on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport in each of the last six years.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many near misses involving vehicles operated by Heathrow Airport Limited have been reported as having occurred on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport in each of the last six years.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has issued guidance to Heathrow Airport on the application of the Road Traffic Act 1991 relating to the driving of vehicles on the tarmac at that airport; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government takes the safety of passengers and those who work at airports very seriously. The Civil Aviation Authority works closely with airport operators to ensure high standards of safety in their ground handling operations. The Department does not hold data on this issue and has not issued guidance to Heathrow Airport in relation to the Road Traffic Act 1991.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will outline the scoring mechanism for the procurement of new HS2 rolling stock that will reflect the need for the benefits of HS2 investment to be spread across the whole of the UK.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The ‘benefits realisation’ requirements of the HS2 rolling stock procurement requires the successful tenderer to achieve a number of skills, education and employment objectives including items such as apprenticeship and graduate recruitment in addition to supporting the National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham and Doncaster. It also requires the successful tenderer to promote supply chain opportunities to the wider supply chain across the UK including new entrants and SMEs. Tenderers’ plans for delivering the ‘benefits realisation’ requirements are assessed in Stage 4 of HS2’s tender evaluation model.

British Transport Police: Police Scotland

Douglas Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government in relation to the effect of the proposed merger of the Scottish Division of British Transport Police (BTP) into Police Scotland on Scottish BTP officers’ pensions.

Douglas Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department plans to have with the Scottish Government in relation to its plan to transfer retired officers of the Scottish Division of British Transport Police into a new pension scheme after the proposed merger of that division into Police Scotland.

Douglas Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department has received from the Department for Work and Pensions on the effect of the proposed merger of the Scottish Division of British Transport Police (BTP) into Police Scotland on the pensions of Scottish BTP officers.

Douglas Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to meet with (a) the National Association for Retired British Transport Police Officers and (b) other stakeholders in relation to the effect of the Scottish Government’s proposed merger of the Scottish Division of British Transport Police (BTP) into Police Scotland on Scottish BTP officers’ pensions.

Joseph Johnson: The UK aspects of the process to implement the devolution of the British Transport Police’s functions in Scotland to Police Scotland, including pensions issues is led by the Department for Transport. The Department for Transport has been working closely with Scottish Government and relevant stakeholders, including employee representative organisations, to develop the pension’s proposal for the proposed transfer of the Scottish Division of British Transport Police. This has been principally through the Joint Programme Board, which has had an extensive process of engagement with affected stakeholders, including representatives of retired officers. The key principles of the pension transfer has always been that pensions will be transferred on an “as is” basis, meaning that affected officers and staff will transfer with their existing terms and conditions intact. Pensions payable to retired officers will continue to be administered by the RPMI and will be paid in full. However, the Scottish Government announced on 27 August 2018 that it has decided to consider other options to deliver the devolution of railway policing. The UK Government will continue to play an important part in this process to ensure that UK interests are properly reflected. Until this process has been concluded the details around any transfer arrangements, including pensions, will not be further progressed as the Scottish Government consider the approach to be adopted. In doing so, the Scottish Government has been clear that it will engage with all affected stakeholders.

British Transport Police: Police Scotland

Douglas Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to meet with (a) the National Association for Retired British Transport Police Officers and (b) other stakeholders in relation to the effect of the Scottish Government’s proposed merger of the Scottish Division of British Transport Police (BTP) into Police Scotland on Scottish BTP officers’ pensions.

Douglas Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s policy is on pensions in the Scottish Division of British Transport Police, in relation to the laying of orders facilitating the Scottish Government’s proposed merger of that division into Police Scotland.

Joseph Johnson: The Department has been working closely with Scottish Government and relevant stakeholders, including employee organisations, to develop the pension’s proposal for the proposed transfer of the Scottish Division of British Transport Police. This has been principally through the Joint Programme Board, which has had an extensive process of engagement with affected stakeholders, including representatives of retired officers. The key principles of the pension transfer has always been that pensions will be transferred on an “as is” basis, meaning that affected officers and staff will transfer with their existing terms and conditions intact. Pensions payable to retired officers will continue to be administered by RPMI and will be paid in full. However, the Scottish Government announced on 27 August 2018 that it has decided to consider other options to deliver the devolution of railway policing. The UK Government will continue to play an important part in this process to ensure that UK interests are properly reflected. Until this process has been concluded the details around any transfer arrangements, including pensions, will not be further progressed as the Scottish Government consider the approach to be adopted. In doing so, the Scottish Government has been clear that it will engage with all affected stakeholders.

Exhaust Emissions: Alternative Fuels

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of Gas to Liquid fuels on levels of NOx emissions.

Jesse Norman: The Department is conducting independent tests on paraffinic diesel, a type of Gas to Liquid fuel (GTL), which industry claims has the potential to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions from diesel vehicles. The findings are currently being reviewed and will be published in due course. The results will be used to assess the potential environmental benefits of using paraffinic diesel in road transport. Initial findings show considerable variability depending on the vehicle and how it is used.

Alternative Fuels: Garages and Petrol Stations

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many refuelling stations in the UK sell gas to liquid fuel.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold information concerning the number of refuelling stations in the UK that sell gas to liquid fuel.

Alternative Fuels: Finance

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial incentives his Department provides to encourage (a) businesses and (b) individuals to use Gas to Liquid fuel.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport does not provide financial incentives for businesses and individuals to use Gas to Liquid fuel.

Vehicle Number Plates: Fraud

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the move away from paper tax discs on levels of registration plate cloning fraud.

Jesse Norman: There is no evidence to suggest that there is a link between the removal of paper tax discs and levels of registration plate cloning. There are robust measures in place to protect the integrity of the number plate system which have never relied on the availability of paper tax discs. Since 2003, number plate suppliers in England and Wales have been required to register with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) Register of Number Plate Suppliers. This requirement was extended to Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2008. This regime was introduced to protect the integrity of number plates by ensuring that suppliers check a customer’s identity to ensure their entitlement to the registration number before selling them a replacement number plate. A team of DVLA enforcement officers conduct regular compliance visits to suppliers and work closely with the police and trading standards officials to share intelligence and support investigations and prosecutions. DVLA will investigate where customers believe that their vehicle registration number is being used fraudulently.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans are in place to ensure that people who do not have access to the internet are not adversely affected by the operation of the registration process for change of ownership of vehicles through the DVLA.

Jesse Norman: Motorists can notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of a change of vehicle keeper by completing and posting the new keeper section of the vehicle registration certificate. Those who use the paper route to notify the DVLA of changes to their vehicle record will receive a new vehicle registration certificate on the same timescale as those who notify the DVLA digitally.

South Eastern Rail Franchise

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 136001 on South Eastern Rail Franchise, whether it remains his policy to make a decision in November 2018.

Joseph Johnson: The Department is currently evaluating bids for the South Eastern competition and will make an announcement on award in due course.

Taxis: Regulation

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to reform taxi regulation legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: At a Westminster Hall Debate last year, the Rt Hon John Hayes MP announced the formation of a Task and Finish group to consider any taxi and private hire regulatory issues, their causes and potential remedies. The group’s remit includes considering the use and effectiveness of powers currently available to licensing authorities. The Group has now submitted its report and Ministers are considering the recommendations made. The report and response will be published soon.

Blue Badge Scheme

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government's announcement of 29 June 2018, People with hidden disabilities to benefit from Blue Badges, whether people who were assessed before the publication of the new guidelines will be required to undertake a new assessment for eligibility.

Jesse Norman: The new guidelines are not yet in force. As now, existing badge holders will have their continuing eligibility checked if and when they re-apply for a badge when their current badge expires.

European Aviation Safety Agency

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2018 to Question 163494, what assessment he has made of the (a) timeframe and (b) cost to the public purse for the Civil Aviation Authority to take over the  responsibilities of the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Chris Grayling: The UK is seeking a Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement with the EU which maintains liberal aviation access between the UK and EU, as well as continued participation within the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). We are confident of securing this. We do not want or expect a no deal scenario but we have a duty to responsibly prepare for it. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is therefore implementing plans to take over the responsibilities of EASA if a deal is not reached with the EU. This includes ensuring that they have the correct resources and level of staffing in place. In line with the user charges principle, the majority of the CAA’s costs are, and will continue to be, funded by industry.

Department for Transport: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost to the public purse for his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Chris Grayling: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: - £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. - £286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf. - Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/).

Department for Transport: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

Chris Grayling: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor also set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU Exit preparations in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Railways: Suffolk

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has for restoring a direct train service between Lowestoft and London Victoria via Ipswich.

Joseph Johnson: Greater Anglia has a Franchise Agreement commitment to restore a direct train service between Lowestoft and London Liverpool Street via Ipswich. In line with this commitment, Greater Anglia are currently working with industry partners to secure the necessary access rights and approvals to secure the delivery of this direct service.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many claims have been made against local authorities for pothole damage; and what the cost to the public purse was of successful claims in each of the last three years.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport does not hold information on the number of claims made against local authorities for pothole damages, or the cost of successful claims to the public purse. The matter of insurance and dealing with any compensation claims due to possible defects, including potholes, on the local highway network, is a matter for the relevant local highway authority. Local highway authorities have a delegated statutory responsibility for managing and maintaining their roads as set out in the Highways Act 1980 (as amended).

South Western Railway: Industrial Disputes

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the South Western Railway Industrial Action Mitigation Plan.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of whether South Western Railway has met the terms of its Industrial Action Mitigation Plan.

Joseph Johnson: The South Western Railway (SWR) Industrial Action Mitigation Plan is an action plan setting out the Franchisee’s strategy to minimise potential disruption arising from Industrial Action. This document is the property of the Train Operator (SWR) and is commercially confidential. I am satisfied that SWR is complying with their action plan in dealing with the unnecessary strike action being taken by RMT.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information he holds on the number of electric charging stations that have been out of service for over 24 hours in the last (a) 3 months, (b) 6 months and (c) 12 months.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information he holds on the average length of time that electric charging stations have been out of service in the last two years.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that electric charging stations on motorways are maintained and operate effectively.

Jesse Norman: The Government does not hold data on the numbers of out of service electric vehicle chargepoints or the average length of time they have been out of service in the last two years. The Government wants to ensure that the public charging network is reliable, widespread, accessible, convenient and affordable. The Government has taken powers in the newly adopted Automated and Electric Vehicles Act to set reliability and maintenance standards and to ensure public chargepoints are accessible.

Invalid Vehicles: Accidents

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents involving mobility scooters have been recorded in each year since 2013.

Jesse Norman: The Department introduced the collection of data on personal injury road accidents involving motorised mobility scooters in 2011. Since 2013, the number of reported accidents involving mobility scooters has increased, as below. However, the number of police forces collecting information about accidents involving these vehicles has also increased in each year surveyed.In order to set the data below into context, the table thus shows both the number of forces collecting the data, and the number of recorded accidents from these forces. Reported accidents of all severities involving mobility scooters, Great Britain, 2013 to 2016YearNumber of accidents recordedNumber of police forces collecting201315621201420822201522229201626036

Invalid Vehicles

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has any plans to review the Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regulations 1988 because of the increase in the use of mobility scooters since 1988.

Jesse Norman: The Government have no current plans to amend the use of Invalid Carriages on Highways regulations 1988. This is a matter that the Government will keep under review.

Network Rail: Compensation

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money Network Rail has allocated for compensation to (a) Northern Rail Franchisee and (b) passengers.

Joseph Johnson: Northern and TransPennine Express have announced special compensation schemes, funded by the rail industry, for passengers severely affected by the disruption around the May timetable change. This was agreed by the Department for Transport and Transport for the North which co-manage these two franchises. The scheme is being funded via existing budgets that were allocated to Network Rail but will now be diverted. The details of the full compensation package are still being finalised.

Driving: Licensing

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the average time taken to reinstate drivers who have had their licence revoked on mental health grounds but since been declared fit by health professionals.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) deals with around 750,000 medical cases each year. The time taken to deal with an application following the revocation of a driving licence depends largely on whether further information is needed from medical professionals. The average time for the DVLA to make a licensing decision on all medical applications is 32 working days. The DVLA deals with 92.9% of all medical cases within 90 days. It is not possible to break down this information by specific medical conditions.

Driving: Diabetes

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the DVLA has as part of its review of guidelines on driving and diabetes to ensure that drivers with diabetes use the most accurate blood glucose meters available.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, in conjunction with the Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on driving and diabetes mellitus, has sought views from stakeholders on the proposed new guidance and is considering the responses received.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has in place to mitigate the disruption caused by HS2 works on London to Manchester train routes.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The government is very conscious of the need to minimise any potential for disruption to the national rail network - including the London to Manchester route - during the construction of HS2. HS2 Ltd are working closely with Network Rail and the Train Operating Companies to mitigate against this at London Euston, where work is already underway, and is continuing to develop its plans regarding works at Crewe station.

Euston Station: Closures

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the provision of alternative transport during the closures at Euston station in the last three weeks of August 2018.

Joseph Johnson: The weekend Euston closures occurred 18-19 August, 25-27 August and 1-2 September. The Department will review the effectiveness of the provision of alternative services with Chiltern Railways in due course. Chiltern advised that 48,000 additional seats were provided during the West Coast Main Line blockade period. West Coast passengers from Bolton, Warrington and Crewe were permitted to travel via Birmingham on the Chiltern route.

Abandoned Vehicles

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to encourage data sharing between the DVLA, police, local authorities and other key agencies to facilitate the swift removal of abandoned vehicles.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has secure data sharing arrangements in place for key agencies, including local authorities and the police, to obtain information on registered keeper details where a vehicle appears to be abandoned. Local authorities are responsible for the removal of abandoned vehicles. They are able to do so using powers contained in the Cleaner Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2006. Alternatively, the police can remove any vehicle that is causing an obstruction, is likely to cause danger, or is broken down or abandoned without lawful authority.

A14: Road Works

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money has been spent from the public purse on archeological work in relation to the new A14 road works; and how much further funding he plans to allocate to that work.

Jesse Norman: Approximately £40.7 million to £43.4 million has been spent by the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme on archaeological works to date with a further £1.5 million to £5 million expected in the future. These works have been necessary to meet the commitments Highways England made during the Development Consent Order process. More accurate costs will be published after the scheme has been completed.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: EU Law

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body is planned to enforce carbon dioxide standards for cars and other product standards that reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the UK’s exit from the EU; and whether the Government plans for there to be any role for the proposed new environmental watchdog in such enforcement.

Chris Grayling: The body that will have oversight of carbon dioxide emission standards for newly registered cars and vans in the UK following EU Exit will depend on the agreement reached with the European Union. In the unlikely event the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without an agreement, it is intended that overall responsibility for the enforcement of new car and van carbon dioxide standards will fall to the Secretary of State for Transport, who may in turn appoint another person/body to act on their behalf. Under any scenario, the UK Government has committed to pursuing a future approach that is at least as ambitious as the current arrangements for vehicle emissions regulation.

Road Works: Compensation

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will review the statutory obligation to compensate small businesses for loss of revenue due to works by utility companies.

Jesse Norman: It is a long established principle that traders have no right to any particular level of passing trade and there are no legal grounds for them to claim for loss of such trade as a result of street works or road works. Works do need to take place from time to time and many businesses will benefit from the resulting improvements. Authorities and utilities should endeavour to ensure that works are undertaken as quickly and efficiently as possible in order to keep disruption to a minimum.

Electric Vehicles: Southampton

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the number of electric-only propulsion cars in Southampton.

Jesse Norman: At the end of March 2018, there were 80 electric-only propulsion cars registered to an address in the unitary authority of Southampton.

Railways: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains (a) to and (b) from Warrington have been cancelled as a result of the recent disruption on the trans-Pennine line.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 10 September 2018



The Department does not hold Train Operator performance information at this level of detail. We acknowledge that the delays and cancellations experienced following the introduction of the new timetable have been unacceptable. We are working with Transport for the North, the Train Operators, and Network Rail to resolve the problems as quickly as possible, to compensate passengers appropriately, and to learn the lessons that will prevent this happening again in the future.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his oral evidence to the Transport Committee on 24 July 2018, Q341-345, HC 891, when he plans to publish the minutes of the Thameslink 2018 Industry Readiness Board.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 10 September 2018



The Department published the minutes of the Thameslink 2018 Industry Readiness Board on the Gov.uk website on 10 September 2018.

Northern

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of Northern services operating at weekends.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 10 September 2018



The Northern franchise will be providing around 400 additional Sunday services by the end of 2019 compared with the start of the franchise in 2016, many of which have already been introduced. As regards current weekend performance we would urge RMT to call off their planned industrial action on Saturdays, especially as there are talks taking place at ACAS. The level of Sunday cancellations continue to remain unacceptable and Northern must urgently look to resolve this issue.

Roads: Merseyside and Surrey

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has allocated from the public purse to roads and highways in (a) Merseyside and (b) Surrey in each of the last seven years.

Jesse Norman: a) Merseyside (part of Liverpool City Region) The boroughs of Merseyside are joined by the neighbouring borough of Halton in Cheshire to form the Liverpool City Region. (i) Local major schemes In the last seven years (2012/13 to 2018/19 inclusive) the Government has committed the following on local major schemes: In the last seven years (2012/13 to 2018/19 inclusive) the Government has committed the following on local major schemes:  Capital Grant£mLiverpool City Region Total106.5 Liverpool City Region also received a £53.3m revenue grant. This was paid to Halton Borough Council and comprises £3.5m towards the running costs of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board and £49.8m Availability Support Grant (the latter being the first two years’ payments towards the cost of the 30 year contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the new bridge and associated road infrastructure). (ii) Local highway maintenance Highways Maintenance2011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/182018/19£k£k£k£k£k£k£k£k15,04414,68916,49614,19716,91416,45516,48216,467 Integrated Transport Block 2011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/182018/19£k£k£k£k£k£k£k£k13,51712,98012,98018,25410,06910,06910,06910,069  (iii) Strategic Roads Budgets are not held by Highways England in the format requested. The Road Investment Strategy settlement is distributed to the various major projects that Highways England is committed to delivering and also to defined operational regions that are responsible for maintenance, repairs and local improvements. b) Surrey (i) Local major schemes Surrey received £16.4m for Walton Bridge. (ii) Local highway maintenance Highways Maintenance2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-19£k£k£k£k£k£k£k£k16,28415,36217,02216,84016,71416,25916,28816,272 Integrated Transport Block 2011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/182018/19£k£k£k£k£k£k£k£k7,3206,6296,6299,4114,7844,7844,7844,784 (iii) Strategic Roads Budgets are not held by Highways England in the format requested. The Road Investment Strategy settlement is distributed to the various major projects that Highways England is committed to delivering and also to defined operational regions that are responsible for maintenance, repairs and local improvements. Note In addition both Merseyside and Surrey have access to Local Growth Funding (LGF) managed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and to which this Department contributes. LGF supports schemes that facilitate economic growth and housing – these include transport schemes in both Merseyside and Surrey.

Roads: Accidents

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made in trends in the number of people killed in road accidents in the UK since 2010.

Jesse Norman: The number of people killed in road accidents in the UK has fallen slightly since 2010, from 1,905 in 2010 to 1,860 in 2016. Prior to 2010 there were larger reductions in the numbers of people killed in road accidents in the UK (in 2000 3,580 people were killed, this reduced to 3,336 by 2005 and to 1,905 by 2010). Many other countries with good road safety records have also experienced a slow-down in the rate of casualty reduction since 2010. In June the Government announced its intention to deliver a more strategic approach to preventing deaths and serious injuries on our roads. The Department for Transport has a two-year action plan to address four priority user groups: young people, rural road users, motorcyclists and older and more vulnerable users, according to a refreshed road safety strategy. The refreshed statement will be informed by early lessons from the new road collision investigation pilot - a £480,000 partnership between police forces and the RAC Foundation to trial an innovative approach to road collision investigation, carrying out more in-depth, qualitative analysis of the underlying causes of road safety incidents in order to get a better understanding of what is really causing collisions on UK roads.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Carillion: Insolvency

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to secure payments to subcontractors and suppliers owed money for work undertaken for Carillion prior to its liquidation; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Insolvency Act 1986 to protect small and medium-sized enterprises.

Kelly Tolhurst: Decisions regarding payments to subcontractors and suppliers to Carillion are the responsibility of the court-appointed Official Receiver. In his role as liquidator, the Official Receiver is an officer of the court and independent of Government. The Government has also taken swift action to put in place support to those affected by this insolvency event. The Banks have made provision for nearly £1 billion of support to those affected and the British Business Bank will provide support of up to £100 million of lending to small businesses through its Enterprise Finance Guarantee programme. HMRC will provide practical advice and guidance to those who were contracted to Carillion and are now concerned about their ability to pay tax.In its response to the Insolvency and Corporate Governance consultation on 26 August 2018, the Government announced that it will increase the current £600,000 cap on the proportion of funds that can be ring-fenced and paid over to unsecured creditors, including small and medium-sized enterprises, ahead of the usual order of priority in an insolvency. The increase will be in line with the impact of inflation on the current cap since it came into effect in 2003, increasing the cap to approximately £800,000.

British Business Bank

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has any plans to privatise the British Business Bank.

Kelly Tolhurst: The British Business Bank (BBB) is 100% owned by Government and we have no plans to alter that position. As at end of July 2018, the Start Up Loans programme – run by the Start Up Loans Company (SULCo), a subsidiary of BBB – had lent £436m to more than 57,000 entrepreneurs.

Galileo System

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to develop a UK alternative to participation in the Galileo satellite navigation programme.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The UK’s preference is to remain involved in the Galileo programme and we are continuing in our negotiations with the European Union on that basis. However, as a responsible Government, we need to look at alternatives to meet our national security, strategic and industrial requirements. As such, on 29 August, the Government announced that we are investing £92m of Brexit readiness money on developing an independent satellite system. The study will inform the decision to create the system as an alternative to Galileo should an acceptable agreement for continued UK participation in Galileo not be possible.

Employment: Discrimination

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Equality Act 2010 to enable Scottish Courts to take protective measures to ensure that claimants in discrimination employment tribunals receive payments where they are due, including statutory powers to arrest funds.

Kelly Tolhurst: Civil enforcement is a devolved matter and the powers of Scottish Courts in this respect are therefore a matter for the Scottish Government. However, the Government is clear that where an employment tribunal has made an award then it should be paid promptly. That is why BEIS introduced the UK-wide unpaid award penalty scheme, in addition to other existing enforcement action, to improve award payment rates. Since introduction in April 2016, the unpaid award penalty scheme has levied penalties of £485,646 and secured payment of £829,343 of previously unpaid employment tribunal awards as of January 2018. The Government also committed to further reforms to enforcement, including unpaid awards, following the Matthew Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices and will update on progress on those reforms in due course.

Consumers: Standards

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 27 of the White Paper, The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, Cm 9593, published on 12 July 2018, what steps the Government plans to take to maintain consumer standards for goods after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: Voluntary standards are developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI), which is the UK member of the European standards organisations (ESOs). BSI is independent of the Government and the ESOs are independent of the EU. Voluntary standards, including those for consumer goods, may be used to support regulations, and the adoption of a common rulebook would mean that the same standards are used in the UK and the EU, ensuring consumers are not confused by multiple standards for the same products.

Gratuities: Public Consultation

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish the response to the consultation on tips, gratuities, cover and service charges which closed on 27 June 2016.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government‘s consultation identified a range of tipping practices used by employers. The Government is considering next steps and reserves the right to take further legislative action if restaurants do not pay their staff fairly. Any action must benefit workers and not place extra burden on those businesses that do pay their staff fairly.

Medical Treatments: Innovation

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what involvement his Department has had in the establishment of the new accelerated access pathway.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The establishment of the pathway has been led by the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC), working with industry and patients. The establishment of the AAC has been supported by the Office for Life Sciences, which is a joint unit between both the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). A member of the BEIS departmental board sits on the AAC.

Retirement

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the number of people forced to retire since the abolition of the compulsory retirement age.

Kelly Tolhurst: We will publish a Post Implementation Review of the removal of the Default Retirement Age in due course. The Post Implementation Review will assess the extent to which the aims of the policy have been met five years from policy implementation. The Review will also cover the extent to which employers utilise an Employer-Justified Retirement Age and the number of age discrimination complaints raised to Acas and Employment Tribunal.

Manufacturing Industries: New Businesses

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the adequacy of levels of capital available to start-up manufacturing companies.

Kelly Tolhurst: Though our industrial Strategy we are committed to making the UK the best place in Europe to start and grow a manufacturing business. That includes using our record investments in infrastructure to unlock growth in every part of the country; using the major new investment in research to support innovative manufacturing businesses across the country; and encouraging inward investment. We are ranked in the top 10 in the world for ease of doing business by the World Bank and amongst the very best in Europe, and we are the number one destination for foreign direct investment in Europe. We will improve access to finance across the country and back institutions which can catalyse growth and private sector equity investment:British Business Bank programmes are supporting more than £5.2bn of finance to more than 74,000 smaller businesses (as at March 2018), including through the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, and the Midlands Engine Investment FundAnd we are now taking action to unlock over £20 billion of Patient Capital Investment for growing firms over the next 10 years.We will improve wider support for scale-ups and entrepreneurs by building up networks, using government data in a smarter way, launching a review into entrepreneurship, and supporting the industry-led Be the Business campaign with up to £13 million over three years to provide practical tools to businesses to improve productivity.

Manufacturing Industries: Takeovers

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of restricting the takeover of UK manufacturing companies by overseas companies.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government welcomes overseas investment which champions enterprise and innovation and supports jobs and growth. Ministers have powers to intervene in mergers, regardless of sector, that raise public interest considerations relating to national security, financial stability and media plurality. The Government will continue to keep these powers under review. Earlier this year, the Government published a White Paper, National Security and Investment, setting out its proposals for new powers to ensure that investments and acquisitions cannot undermine our national security. The public consultation runs until 16 October.

Unemployment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the effect on the rate of unemployment of the removal of the gig economy.

Kelly Tolhurst: The flexibility of the UK labour market has helped businesses create jobs in record numbers, supporting many millions into work. The gig economy and platform-based working can provide genuine two-way flexibility and opportunities for those who may not be able to work in more conventional ways. This should be protected while ensuring fairness for those who work through these platforms and those who compete with them.

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made on the recommendation of the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, published in July 2017, to extend the remit of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate to include responsibility for umbrella companies.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government has already committed to extending the remit of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate to include responsibility for umbrella companies. We are considering fully the views expressed in response to the consultation regarding how this is achieved in detail and will set out further information in due course.

Living Wage

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of the national living wage.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government has set an ambitious target for achieving a National Living Wage that represents 60% of median earnings by 2020 subject to sustained economic growth. The National Living Wage (NLW) rate is recommended to the Government by the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC). To make their recommendations, the LPC draws on a wide range of analysis, including independent research and stakeholder evidence from both employers and trade unions. From 1 April 2018 the Government raised the NLW from £7.50 to £7.83, which means a full-time worker will see their earnings grow by more than £600 this year.

Home Care Services: Living Wage

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy,	with reference to the Court of Appeal judgment on Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake and Shannon v Rampersad made on 13 July 2018, what  plans the Government has to bring forward proposals to ensure that overnight care is subject to the National Living Wage.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the (a) status and (b) liability for care providers that enrolled in HMRC’s Social Care Compliance Scheme.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to issue guidance on rates for sleep-in shifts; and what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of funding for local authorities to meet those rates.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Court of Appeal judgment on Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake and Shannon v Rampersad made on 13 July 2018, what guidance the Government has issued on rates of pay for sleep in shifts to (a) local authorities and (b) care commissioners.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Court of Appeal judgment on Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake and Shannon v Rampersad made on 13 July 2018, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals of the pay rates for care workers on sleep-in shifts.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Court of Appeal judgment overturns the previous interpretation of the law and means that “sleep-in” shifts, as defined by the Court of Appeal, no longer attract the National Minimum Wage. The Court of Appeal judgment applies both retrospectively and going forward. Government guidance on when “sleep-in” shifts should attract the National Minimum Wage has been updated to confirm that the Government has noted the judgment. That guidance will be updated shortly once Ministers have fully considered the implications the Court of Appeal judgment. Over the past year Ministers from across the Government have been working closely on how “sleep-in” shifts are remunerated and will continue to do so. Ministers from BEIS and the Department of Health and Social Care are liaising with local authorities and care commissioners to ensure that they have clarity on the legal position and on their responsibilities when commissioning care services. HMRC’s voluntary Social Care Compliance Scheme remains open. Employers participating on the scheme should take note of the Court of Appeal judgment and review their pay practices accordingly. HMRC officers have been in contact directly with all employers enrolled on the scheme to set out next steps.

Insolvency: Redundancy Pay

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average time taken was for payments to be made to people who made a claim against the Insolvency Service's Redundancy Payments Office in (a) 2015 and (b) 2017.

Kelly Tolhurst: Statutory payments from the National Insurance Fund are made under the provisions of the Employment Rights Act 1996. The ministerial target for 2017/2018 is to process an application for payment within 14 days on average; and the Insolvency Service looks to process and pay 95% of claims within 6 weeks of receiving an application, and all supporting information, from a claimant. Claims received are generally comprised of up to 4 components, depending on exactly what is claimed by the applicant. Each component is individually assessed and either paid, rejected, or withdrawn, depending on whether it fits the criteria for payment. Details of claims paid are shown in table 1 below Table 1 – Details of claims and components paidYearClaims ReceivedTotal Components ProcessedAverage days to pay componentsOf components paid, % in 6 weeks% of total components processed which were paid (note 1)201561,797191,5311497%67%201757,950175,2701596%65%Note 1 – The remainder of components were either rejected or withdrawnSpeed of processing in 2017 was adversely affected by the complexity of dealing with claims from former employees of Monarch Airlines.

Carillion: Insolvency

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timeframe is for the publication of the investigation into the collapse of Carillon by the Official Receiver.

Kelly Tolhurst: Statute allows the Insolvency Service up to three years, following a company’s insolvency, in which to bring disqualification proceedings against its directors. Typically investigations are concluded in less time, however because of the uncertainty that attaches to any large, complex, investigation it is not possible at present to offer a more precise estimate. If any directors are disqualified the Insolvency Service will publish the details of the disqualification on its website (for three months) and will notify Companies House, which maintains the statutory register of disqualifications.

Billing: Codes of Practice

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of the Prompt Payment Code.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is clear that large companies should lead by example in paying their suppliers promptly and fairly. The best practice principles set out in the Prompt Payment Code have an important role to play in encouraging this culture change. At Spring Statement, my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that a call for evidence will be published on eliminating unfair payment practices. This will be launched by the Department later this year and will seek views on how the Government could go further to deliver a responsible payment culture.

Financial Reporting Council Independent Review

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timeframe is for the publication of the independent review of the Financial Reporting Council.

Kelly Tolhurst: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has invited Sir John Kingman to report and publish his findings in due course.

Manufacturing Industries: Skilled Workers

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the number of skilled workers in the UK manufacturing sector.

Richard Harrington: The Government has been clear that safeguarding the rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK has been a priority during its negotiations. The agreement reached and set out in the Withdrawal Agreement text will provide them with certainty about their rights going forward. It will allow EU citizens in the UK to continue living their lives broadly as they do now. Government recognises the vital role the manufacturing sector plays in the economy and to local places. Through our Industrial Strategy, we are committed to making the UK the best place in Europe to own and grow a manufacturing business. We are working closely with industry to secure a strong future for UK manufacturers and their employees, including through major new investment in research and significant reforms in education and skills.

Manufacturing Industries: EU Nationals

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate the Government has made of the proportion of the manufacturing workforce in (a) the UK and (b) the North East which is made up of non-UK EU nationals.

Richard Harrington: The Office for National Statistics has published estimates of the number of UK nationals, EU and non-EU nationals working in each industrial sector in the UK, broken down by region for the period April 2017 to March 2018 and these are available here: ONS stats.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cameroon: Human Rights

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Cameroonian counterpart on the civil rights of members of the Anglophone community in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The promotion of human rights in Cameroon remains an important priority of the British Government. Human rights violations and abuses lead to unstable, less prosperous and undemocratic societies.During my visit in February I met the Prime Minister and the Ministers of External Relations where I reinforced the necessity of adhering to international human rights standards in a challenging security environment. During the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London this year, I and Ministerial colleagues pressed our Cameroon counterparts for urgent action to resolve the dispute and associated violence. The High Commissioner to Cameroon has raised our concerns with the authorities and has met with opposition groups and human rights defenders.

Uganda: Internally Displaced People

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Uganda on behalf of the thousands of people of Apaa village in Amuru/Adjumani District who have been and are still being forcibly evicted from their land by the Ugandan Army, Police and Wildlife Authority who claim that they are inhabiting a game reserve.

Harriett Baldwin: As part of our dialogue with the Government of Uganda on all aspects of democratic governance and human rights, we continue to stress the importance of resolving disputes fairly, peacefully and with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. I welcome the Government of Uganda’s 22 August announcement that a committee led by Prime Minister Rugunda, and involving representatives of the affected communities will be constituted to review the Government’s proposals to resolve the land disputes in Apaa.​

Uganda: Internally Displaced People

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has been in contact with the UN Human Rights Offices in Gulu, northern Uganda, where 250 internally displaced people are camped; and if he will make representations to the Ugandan Government on behalf of those people.

Harriett Baldwin: We are in regular contact with United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) representatives in Uganda. Those that were camped at the UN OHCHR office in Gulu departed on 16 August and returned to their community.​

Palestinians: International Assistance

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that all people arrested on vessels from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla (a) are released and (b) have their impounded possessions returned to them; and if he will investigate why the vessels were prevented from reaching their destination.

Alistair Burt: Consular officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv visited the British nationals who were detained to check on their welfare. We understand that all participants have now left Israel. Our Deputy Head of Mission in Israel raised the issue of personal belongings with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of Zimbabwe since the recent elections in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: I released statements on 4 and 9 August highlighting our concern with the violence and human rights violations which took place after the elections of 30 July, particularly regarding the deaths of at least six people on 1 August. I released a further statement on 25 August on the overall conduct of the election. I spoke to Foreign Minister Moyo and Movement for Democratic Change Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa on 10 August to urge calm, and for all sides uphold the rule of law and the Constitution. In addition, our Ambassador met President Mnangagwa as events were unfolding on 1 August to raise our serious concern and press for the military to be immediately removed from the streets.​

Africa: Embassies

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans to open new High Commissions and Embassies in Africa; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: In a sign of our deep and long-term relationship with the continent, we are increasing the British diplomatic presence in sub-Saharan Africa so we can develop more effective partnerships and achieve our mutual goals. During her recent visit to Africa the Prime Minister announced that the UK would open new sovereign missions in Niger and Chad as a demonstration of our commitment to the Sahel region. This is in addition to the announcement made by the former Foreign Secretary in the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April that we would be opening two new High Commissions in Lesotho and Eswatini. In May this year we also upgraded UK presence in Mauritania to an Embassy.

Antarctic: Marine Protected Areas

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his international counterparts on securing an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary since his appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK is a leading advocate for marine protection across the Southern Ocean, having secured agreement for the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) within the international Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The UK is a co-proponent for MPA proposals in the Weddell Sea and will be strongly advocating its adoption at the next CCAMLR meeting in October. There are ongoing international consultations underway at official and technical level to aid these negotiations and once the final proposal is submitted to CCAMLR this week, the UK, together with other EU Members, will consider the most appropriate level of lobbying required to achieve this aim.

Hassan Mushaima

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps his Department has made to secure the release from prison in Bahrain of Hassan Mushaima.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain have raised the case of Hassan Mushaima with the Bahraini authorities at senior levels. His imprisonment is a matter for the Bahraini authorities.The UK enjoys a close relationship with the Government of Bahrain which allows us to speak honestly about a range of issues, including human rights.

Hassan Mushaima

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2018 to Question 163627 on Hassan Mushiama, in what form the encouragement to the Bahraini government has taken place.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain have raised the case of Hassan Musaima with the Bahraini authorities at senior levels. The UK enjoys a close relationship with the Government of Bahrain which allows us to speak honestly about a range of issues, including human rights. We use this close relationship to encourage Bahrain on a number of issues.

Armed Conflict

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of its protection of civilians strategy; and whether he has plans to update that guidance.

Mark Field: The principles of the 2010 Protection of Civilians Strategy continue to guide our work and we consistently review our cross-Government approach. We aim to address the growing challenges of protecting civilians affected by conflict through political engagement, strengthening accountability, peace support operations, ensuring respect for International Humanitarian Law in UK military operations, strengthening state and non-state capacity, humanitarian action, and offering refuge to those in need of protection. The continuing evolution of our approach is demonstrated by the UK's adherence, in April 2018, to the Safe Schools Declaration which supports the protection and continuation of education in armed conflict.

Armed Conflict

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans to run a public consultation on updating the UK’s protection of civilians strategy.

Mark Field: ​There are no plans to run a public consultation.

Armed Conflict

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans to include violations committed against children living in conflict in its protection of civilians strategy.

Mark Field: International Humanitarian Law (IHL) provides a robust legal framework for the protection of all civilians (including children) and combatants, and the UK works closely with states and NGOs to promote compliance with this legal framework.The UK is committed to protecting children affected by armed conflict, including ending the recruitment and use of child soldiers. As an active member of the UN Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), we have been working in particular on how to improve humanitarian access for children in conflict. The UK frequently applies diplomatic pressure to states and non-state armed groups who violate the rights of children in conflict contexts, and funds projects to help protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children. In April 2018, we endorsed the Safe School Declaration and we are encouraging other countries to follow suit. The UK worked very closely with Sweden and others to agree a UN Security Council Resolution on Children and Armed Conflict which was adopted in early July this year. The UK has also endorsed the guidance set out in both the Paris Principles and the Vancouver Principles, which aims to ensure that child protection is an operational priority for UN peacekeeping missions.

India: Politics and Government

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the risk of (a) intercommunal violence, (b) mass statelessness, and (c) a humanitarian crisis from expulsions as a result of the citizen registration process in the Indian state of Assam.

Mark Field: The updating of the National Register of Citizens in Assam has increased tensions in the North East of India and caused concern among human rights defenders. The FCO network in India, and especially our Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, is watching developments closely. We maintain a continuous assessment of human rights issues in India, including those of religious minorities. This includes raising issues with Indian officials where appropriate.

Myanmar: General Elections

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the prospects for (a) reform or (b) replacement of the 1982 Citizenship law of Myanmar in advance of the next Myanmar general election.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on progress being made by the Government of Myanmar on its granting citizenship to members of the Rohingya minority.

Mark Field: The UK has strongly supported the Rakhine Advisory Commission's call on Burma to reform the 1982 Citizenship Law. UK Ministers have publicly called for the removal of restrictions that withhold citizenship from individuals who are not from a community recognised by the Burmese authorities as a 'national race', such as the Rohingya. Most recently, the British Ambassador raised the UK's concerns about the pace of implementation of the Rakhine Advisory Commission's 88 recommendations in his meeting with the Minister for the Office of the State Counsellor on 24 August.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the use of (a) weapons, (b) other military goods or services, and (c) non-military goods or services exported from the UK in death of children as a result of the airstrike in Dahyan, Yemen on 9 August 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​The Saudi-led Coalition does not publish information on which items are used in specific air strikes, and has not done so in the case of the 9 August strike. The UK is not a member of the Coalition and we do not have any role in setting Coalition policy, or executing air strikes in Yemen. The UK will not issue an export licence to Saudi Arabia, or any other country, if we assess there is a clear risk the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.On 1 September, the Saudi-led Coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team announced the outcome of an investigation into the 9 August incident, its regret and action to address the recommendations of that investigation. We welcome this acknowledgement and these steps.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will make it its policy to support the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, in an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of children as a result of the airstrike in Dahyan, Yemen on 9 August 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​We believe it is right for the Saudi-led Coalition in the first instance to conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into incidents where it is alleged that international humanitarian law has been breached. The Coalition has the best insight into its own military procedures and will be able to conduct the most thorough and conclusive investigations.On 1 September, the Coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team announced the outcome of an investigation into the 9 August incident, its regret and action to address the recommendations of the investigation. We welcome this acknowledgement and these steps.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the UK Government will make it its policy to suspend the issue of arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia.

Alistair Burt: We assess arms exports to Saudi Arabia against strict criteria. The key test is whether there is a clear risk the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law. We take this very seriously and keep licensing decisions under careful review. ​

Hassan Mushaima

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Bahraini embassy on the detention of Hassan Mushaima in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain have raised the case of Hassan Mushaima with the Bahraini authorities at senior levels.

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Zimbabwean Government on human rights issues since the recent election in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: I released statements on 4 and 9 August highlighting our concern at the violence and human rights violations which took place after the elections, particularly the deaths of at least six people on 1 August. I spoke to Foreign Minister Moyo and MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa on 10 August to urge calm, and for all sides uphold the rule of law and the Constitution.We welcome President Mangagwa's creation of the Commission of Inquiry into the violence and human rights abuses after the elections. We are pressing for this to be conducted quickly, credibly and in a transparent manner.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the total cost to the public purse of his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as:£412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016.£286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf.Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

Sir Alan Duncan: In the Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU Exit preparations in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Overseas Aid

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the transparency of its Official Development Assistance after the publication of the Aid Transparency Index 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​I refer the Hon. Member to answer of 11 July 2018 (PQ 160284).

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen on the time taken for humanitarian aid to reach Hodeidah port.

Alistair Burt: The UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) facilitates commercial imports into Yemen's Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Saleef, and is an important mechanism taking into account the arms embargo enacted by UN Security Council Resolution 2216. UNVIM only applies to commercial vessels.

Yemen: International Assistance

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support improvements in the efficiency of the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK is providing £1.3 million this financial year to the UN's Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to facilitate commercial shipping and assure the Coalition that weapons are not coming into Yemen on large commercial ships docking at Red Sea ports. We have also deployed UK maritime experts to Djibouti to further boost the inspections process, increasing the proportion of ships physically inspected more than ten-fold (from 8 per cent to 90 per cent).

Yemen: Military Intervention

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has has with his counterparts in the Saudi-Emirati-led coalition on military operations in Saada on 9 August.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign Secretary spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir on 16 August and urged a quick and transparent investigation. On 1 September, the Saudi-led Coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team announced the outcome of an investigation into the 9 August incident, its regret and action to address the recommendations of that investigation. We welcome this acknowledgement and these steps.I spoke to Emirati Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr Gargash, and to Saudi Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir about these matters further on 3 and 4 September respectively. The Saudi Foreign Minister confirmed that the Coalition would implement the recommendations of that investigation.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the attack on Saada, Yemen on 9 August was a legitimate military operation in line with international humanitarian law.

Alistair Burt: ​On 1 September, the Saudi-led Coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team announced the outcome of an investigation into the 9 August incident, its regret and action to address the recommendations of that investigation. We welcome this acknowledgement and these steps.

Yemen: Human Rights

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to support the renewal of the mandate of the group of eminent experts on Yemen at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in September.

Alistair Burt: ​The recent report from the Group of Eminent Experts further underlines the deeply concerning human rights situation in Yemen and the importance of reaching a political solution to this conflict. We are carefully considering the contents of the report ahead of the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council.As we have consistently, we will emphasise to all parties the vital importance of compliance with international humanitarian law, press for action to address the humanitarian crisis, and encourage all parties to engage in the UN-led political process in good faith.

Hassan Mushaima

Eleanor Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his department will make representations to the Bahraini Government (a) to enable Hassan Mushaima to receive his full list of medications and (b) on making adaptions to his detention condition.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain have raised the case of Hassan Mushaima with the Bahraini authorities at senior levels. The Bahraini authorities have assured us that Mr Mushaima has access to his medication and medical facilities. We continue to encourage those with concerns to report them to the appropriate human rights oversight body. We also continue to encourage the oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims.

Hassan Mushaima

Eleanor Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department is having discussions with the Bahraini Government on seeking the release of Hassan Mushaima on a humanitarian basis; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain have raised the case of Hassan Mushaima with the Bahraini authorities at senior levels. The Bahraini authorities have assured us that Mr Mushaima has access to his medication and medical facilities. We continue to encourage those with concerns to report them to the appropriate human rights oversight body. We also continue to encourage the oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: The FCO does not hold the information requested as costs are not accounted for in this way. Further information can be found in the FCO's Annual Report and Accounts. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-and-commonwealth-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff in his Department have been transferred to the Department for (a)Exiting the European Union and (b) International Trade as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: Since July 2016 the FCO has transffered 65 staff to DExEU and DIT.

Qatar: LGBT People

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations the Government has made to the Government of Qatar on human rights and the rights of LGBT people in that country.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK's close relationship with Qatar means that we can raise a range of human rights issues with them. I am pleased that at the UN General Assembly last year, Qatar signed up to the Prime Minister's Call to Action to end modern slavery. This year, both the Rt Hon Lord Ahmad and I met with Qatar's National Human Rights committee to discuss a range of human rights issues affecting Qataris and people living in Qatar. In addition, in March I met the Secretary General of Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of the World Cup in 2022 and discussed the measures taken to improve both the living and working conditions of construction workers. Since then, the International Labour Organisation, the ILO, has opened an office in Doha to work with Qatar on migrant workers' rights. The British Government stands ready to assist and support Qatar's continued efforts to implement the ILO's recommended reforms.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the Bahraini Government’s treatment of political prisoners.

Alistair Burt: ​The British Government monitors events in Bahrain closely. Where we have concerns on specific issues, including prison conditions, we raise these with the Bahraini authorities. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to tackle the Bahraini Government's treatment of political prisoners.

Alistair Burt: ​The British Government monitors events in Bahrain closely. Where we have concerns on specific issues, including prison conditions, we raise these with the Bahraini authorities. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Israeli government to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches Gaza; and what representations he has made to seek to prevent any embargo stopping items from reaching people in need.

Alistair Burt: ​The former Foreign Secretary raised the Israeli embargo of Gaza when he met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in June. I raised the humanitarian situation in Gaza when I last met with Israeli officials in July. Delivery of aid to Gaza should be coordinated with the UN and Israeli and Egyptian Governments. We continue to call on the Israeli Government to ease restrictions further and for Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Egypt to work together to ensure a durable solution for Gaza.

Rohingya: Discrimination

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to tackle religious persecution of the Rohingya.

Mark Field: The British Government continues to be deeply concerned by religious persecution and violence against Rohingya in Burma. The Minister for the Commonwealth and the United Nations reiterated the UK's concerns about the persecution faced by Rohingya when he chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council on 28 August. I called for the Burmese Government to take steps to create the conditions needed in Rakhine State for Rohingya to return in my meeting with the Burmese Ambassador on 11 July and in a call with the Burmese Minister for International Co-operation on 17 August. The British Embassy continues to support projects in Burma addressing the drivers of prejudice and inter-communal violence.

Rohingya: Crime

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the avenues available to bring the perpetrators of crimes against the Rohingya under international law to justice.

Mark Field: The British Government condemns the atrocities in Rakhine and is committed to working with international partners to bring those responsible to justice. The UK convened a meeting of the UN Security Council on 28 August chaired by the Minister for the Commonwealth and the United Nations to ensure the Council remains focused on the Rohingya crisis, including the need for accountability. When the Security Council considers the final UN Fact-Finding Mission report, we will have the opportunity to discuss all options to ensure accountability. On 6 September 2018, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled that courtholders jurisdiction over the deportation of the Rohingya population from Burma to Bangladesh. The UK fully supports the court in its efforts to bring the perpetrators of human rights violations to justice.

Burma: Discrimination

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle religious and racial discrimination in Burma.

Mark Field: ​The British Government continues to be deeply concerned by religious and racial discrimination against minorities in Burma. The Government has repeatedly raised concerns about the treatment of minorities in Burma in the Human Rights Council in September 2017 and March 2018. The Minister for the Commonwealth and the United Nations raised the UK's concerns about the persecution faced by minority groups in Burma in his speech to the Human Rights Council of 27 February 2018. Our Embassy continues to support projects in Burma addressing the drivers of prejudice and inter-communal violence.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the permissibility under international law of the Saudi-led coalition attack on a bus in Saada, Yemen.

Alistair Burt: ​On 1 September, the Saudi-led Coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team announced the outcome of an investigation into the 9 August incident, its regret and action to address the recommendations of the investigation. We welcome this acknowledgement and these steps.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the Saudi-led Coalition on their military operations in Saada on 9 August 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign Secretary spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir on 16 August and urged a quick and transparent investigation. On 1 September, the Saudi-led Coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team announced the outcome of an investigation into the 9 August incident, its regret and action to address the recommendations of that investigation. We welcome this acknowledgement and these steps.I spoke to Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir about these matters further on 4 September and he confirmed that the Coalition would implement the recommendations of that investigation.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the accuracy of the Saudi Arabian assessment that the attack on Saada on 9 August 2018 was a legitimate military operation in line with international humanitarian law.

Alistair Burt: ​On 1 September, the Saudi-led Coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team announced the outcome of an investigation into the 9 August incident, its regret and action to address the recommendations of that investigation. We welcome this acknowledgement and these steps.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Attorney-General has provided the Government with advice on the legitimacy of UK arms sales to Saudi and Emirati-led coalition forces.

Alistair Burt: The Government's legal advice is subject to legal professional privilege. The High Court’s judgment of July 2017 confirmed that we have in place a robust and rigorous process for assessing export licensing decisions for Saudi Arabia. We assess all export licensing decisions for Saudi Arabia on a case by case basis against the Consolidated Criteria. Our assessments take into account evidence from a range of sources including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, other government departments, the media and Non - Government Organisations reports.

Yemen: Human Rights

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK plans to support the renewal of the mandate of the UNHRC Group of Eminent Experts to investigate violations of human rights in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: ​The recent report from the Group of Eminent Experts further underlines the deeply concerning human rights situation in Yemen and the importance of reaching a political solution to this conflict. We are carefully considering the contents of the report ahead of the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council.As we have consistently, we will emphasise to all parties the vital importance of compliance with international humanitarian law, press for action to address the humanitarian crisis, and encourage all parties to engage in the UN-led political process in good faith.

Turkey: Diplomatic Relations

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve diplomatic relations with Turkey.

Sir Alan Duncan: We enjoy highly productive diplomatic relations with Turkey. British Ministers are in regular communication with their Turkish counterparts and our respective embassies are both very active. The Prime Minister is also closely engaged on UK/Turkey issues. In addition to welcoming President Erdoǧan to the UK during his visit in May 2018, the Prime Minister has spoken regularly to the President, most recently on 27 August.

Iran: Journalism

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to protect BBC journalists in Tehran.

Alistair Burt: The reports of BBC Persian staff in Iran being harassed and subject to asset freezes and similar forms of mistreatment are deeply worrying. The former Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about harassment of BBC Persian staff and their families in Iran with his Iranian counterpart during his visit to Tehran on 9-10 December 2017. I raised this issue directly with the Government of Iran when I visited Tehran in September 2018. We will continue to raise this issue at all levels.

Belgium: Undocumented Migrants

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the flow of undocumented migrants through Belgian ports.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government is working closely with Belgian colleagues to prevent illegal migrants travelling, and to undermine the business model driving organised illegal immigration. Joint investigations and operational cooperation have seen a number of successes in disrupting organised crime groups. We are also working to tackle people smuggling through the People Smuggling Amplification Plan. We are cooperating with Belgian, French and Dutch law enforcement agencies to share information and build capacity as part of those efforts.

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to section 51 of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, what steps he is taking to assist the governments of the Overseas Territories to introduce publicly accessible beneficial ownership registers.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government has assured the Overseas Territories of our commitment to working collaboratively with them on the introduction of publicly registers. Minister of State Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon has already proposed the establishment of a UK- Overseas Territories technical working group to meet early 2019 and will discuss more formally the implementation timetable and any initial requests for support at the Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council later this year.

British Overseas Territories: Companies

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to section 51 of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, what discussions he has had with the governments of the Overseas Territories on support required to introduce publicly accessible beneficial ownership registers.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Prime Minister and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Minister for the Commonwealth and UN, held a conference call with leaders of Overseas Territories with financial centres on 24 May to discuss the issue, and a further discussion was held at the Joint Ministerial Council in June. Shortly after the passage of this legislation Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon visited Anguilla, the Cayman Islands and Montserrat, where he held discussions on this topic. Similarly, in late July, Lord Ahmad visited the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and met with representatives of the financial services industry and government of BVI. Montserrat and Gibraltar have already committed to establishing a public register of company beneficial ownership.

Burma: Politics and Government

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Myanmar.

Mark Field: ​The situation in Burma remains of real concern. On 27 August, the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission declared that the conduct of the military in Rakhine in August and September 2017 constituted grounds for the prosecution of members of the Burma military for crimes against humanity and genocide. The Foreign Secretary intends to visit Burma and convene a meeting at the UN General Assembly to press for accountability for human rights violations and the creation of conditions in Rakhine State that would allow refugees to return.

Human Rights

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote and support human rights internationally.

Mark Field: ​Promoting and defending human rights is an essential aim of the foreign policy of "Global Britain". The Foreign Office's 2017 "Human Rights & Democracy" report demonstrates the breadth of the issues that we campaign on and how we mobilise the diplomatic network to champion universal rights.Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers and officials defend and promote human rights in bilateral engagements, in multilateral fora, and by funding projects through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy.

Yemen: Conflict Resolution

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help resolve the conflict in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The UK continues to play a leading role in efforts to promote peace. We remain in close contact with Government of Yemen, the Coalition, the UN, the United States and other main Yemeni parties. We seek to secure regional and international consensus in support of the UN-led peace process, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the implications are for his policies of the recommendation by the UN Human Rights Council Group of Eminent Experts Report on Yemen that the international community should refrain from providing arms that could be used in the conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We assess all export licensing applications for Saudi Arabia and other members of the Saudi-led Coalition on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU& National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Our assessments take into account evidence from a wide range of sources including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office network, other government departments, international organisations, national and international media, and Non-Government Organisations. We consider reports by UN bodies as part of the process, and will look carefully at the recent report by the UN Human Rights Council Group of Eminent Experts. We keep all licensing decisions under careful review. ​

Yemen: Human Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the merits of the UN Human Rights Council group of eminent experts report on Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The recent report from the Group of Eminent Experts further underlines the deeply concerning human rights situation in Yemen and the importance of reaching a political solution to this conflict. We are carefully considering the contents of the report ahead of the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Yemen: Human Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss the findings and recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council group of eminent experts report on Yemen with his counterparts in Saudi Arabi, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The recent report from the Group of Eminent Experts further underlines the deeply concerning human rights situation in Yemen and the importance of reaching a political solution to this conflict. We are carefully considering the contents of the report ahead of the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council and will discuss this with our alliesAs we have consistently done we will continue to emphasise to all parties the vital importance of compliance with international humanitarian law, press for action to address the humanitarian crisis, and encourage all parties to engage in the UN-led political process in good faith.

Yemen: Human Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK plans to support the renewal of the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council Group of Eminent Experts to investigate violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: ​The recent report from the Group of Eminent Experts further underlines the deeply concerning human rights situation in Yemen and the importance of reaching a political solution to this conflict. We are carefully considering the contents of the report ahead of the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council.As we have consistently, we will emphasise to all parties the vital importance of compliance with international humanitarian law, press for action to address the humanitarian crisis, and encourage all parties to engage in the UN-led political process in good faith.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Attorney General on the legality of UK arm sales to the Saudi and Emirati-led coalition.

Alistair Burt: The Government's legal advice is subject to legal professional privilege. The High Court’s judgment of July 2017 confirmed that we have in place a robust and rigorous process for assessing export licensing decisions for Saudi Arabia. We assess all export licensing decisions for Saudi Arabia on a case by case basis against the Consolidated Criteria. Our assessments take into account evidence from a range of sources including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, other government departments, the media and NGO reports. ​

Yemen: Human Rights

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to support the renewal of the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council group of eminent experts to investigate violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The recent report from the Group of Eminent Experts further underlines the deeply concerning human rights situation in Yemen and the importance of reaching a political solution to this conflict. We are carefully considering the contents of the report ahead of the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council.As we have consistently, we will emphasise to all parties the vital importance of compliance with international humanitarian law, press for action to address the humanitarian crisis, and encourage all parties to engage in the UN-led political process in good faith.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Attorney General on the legality of arm sales to the Saudi and Emirati-led coalition in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The Government's legal advice is subject to legal professional privilege. The High Court’s judgment of July 2017 confirmed that we have in place a robust and rigorous process for assessing export licensing decisions for Saudi Arabia. We assess all export licensing decisions for Saudi Arabia on a case by case basis against the Consolidated Criteria. Our assessments take into account evidence from a range of sources including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, other government departments, the media and NGO reports. ​

Antarctic: Marine Protected Areas

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress he has made on securing international support for marine protection in the Antarctic.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is a global leader on Antarctic marine protection issues, including within the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). At its next meeting in October, CCAMLR will consider the UK co-sponsored proposals for establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the East Antarctic and Weddell Sea. International consultations are underway at official and technical levels. The final proposal will be submitted to CCAMLR this week, we will then work with other EU Members to consider the most appropriate level of lobbying.

Antarctic: Marine Protected Areas

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on marine conservation in the Antarctic.

Sir Alan Duncan: Ocean protection issues have been a key point of discussion among Ministers at recent G7 and G20 meetings, as the UK continues to be a global leader in marine conservation. Within the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the UK is working proactively to establish a network of Marine Protected Areas around Antarctica. At its next meeting in October, CCAMLR will consider the UK co-sponsored proposals for establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the East Antarctic and Weddell Sea. International consultations on these proposals are underway at official and technical levels.

Antarctic: Marine Protected Areas

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to secure international support for a marine protected area in the Weddell Sea.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is a leading advocate for marine protection across the Southern Ocean, having secured agreement for the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) within the international Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The UK is a co-proponent for MPA proposals in the Weddell Sea and in East Antarctica, both of which will be presented to the next CCAMLR meeting in October for adoption. There are ongoing international consultations underway at official and technical level to aid adoption. The final proposal will be submitted to CCAMLR this week, we will then work with other EU Members to consider the most appropriate level of lobbying.

Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to secure a global treaty to protect the high seas by 2020.

Sir Alan Duncan: The FCO leads, with close cooperation from DEFRA, on the negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ process). The first meeting of the UN Inter-governmental conference to develop the new international instrument started, on 4 September 2018 and the UK is represented by FCO and DEFRA officials. The Government fully supports the United Nations BBNJ process to develop an ambitious agreement which we would like to see concluded in 2020.

India: Overseas Aid

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the Government is providing to India in response to of the Kerala Floods in July 2018.

Mark Field: It was heart-breaking to see reports of so much loss of life and so many made homeless by flooding across Kerala. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have been in touch with local authorities in Kerala and continue to follow events in the region.The existing policy of India’s Foreign Ministry is to meet requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts. However, the UK aid-supported START Fund is in operation to help Non-Governmental Organisations respond to the situation, and the British Government stands ready to assist further if required. Moreover, Oxfam UK are responding in parts of Kerala and our Deputy High Commission staff have personally donated cash, food and clothing to the relief effort.

Hassan Mushaima

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has classified Mr Hasan Mushaima as a prisoner of conscience.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain continue to follow the case of Hasan Mushaima closely. The UK understands that Mr Mushaima has been tried and found guilty by a court of law and has exhausted his rights of appeal under the constitution of his home country.

Ramin Hossein Panahi

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Iranian counterpart on the sentencing of Ramin Hossein Panahi.

Alistair Burt: The British Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including Iran, especially in cases which do not meet the minimum standards defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We have made this clear to Iran, both in public and in private. Most recently, I discussed human rights including the use of the death penalty when I met with my Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi in Tehran on 1 September.

Department for Exiting the European Union

EU Citizenship

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that any agreement reached on EU citizens' rights in the UK after the UK leaves the EU will be reciprocated for UK citizens in European countries.

Mr Robin Walker: Safeguarding the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU was our first priority for negotiations. The fair and reciprocal agreement reached and set out in the draft legal text of the Withdrawal Agreement will provide UK nationals in the EU with more certainty about their rights going forward.The UK is putting in place the administrative arrangements to implement the draft Withdrawal Agreement on citizens’ rights in the Home Office’s EU Settlement Scheme. It is for each Member State to determine how they will implement the Withdrawal Agreement to secure the rights of UK nationals resident in their country, and we are working with Member States to understand how they will do so. We will ensure that we communicate to UK nationals living in the EU any changes to administrative procedures introduced by Member States.

Food Supply

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Welsh and (b) Scottish Governments on ensuring an adequate food supply in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: It is the job of a responsible Government to prepare for all scenarios, including the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal. The Department has held regular discussions with the Welsh and Scottish Governments and the Northern Ireland Civil Service on operational readiness for a ‘no deal’ scenario and will continue to do so.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps the Government is taking during negotiations with the EU to ensure frictionless trade for the automotive sector after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: On 12 July 2018, the Government published its White Paper setting out a proposed UK-EU free trade area for goods, including automotive products, to ensure continued frictionless access at the border to each other’s markets. This would be underpinned by an upfront commitment to a common rulebook on goods and a Facilitated Customs Arrangement to avoid customs checks and controls at our bordersThe common rulebook would cover all rules that set the requirements for placing a product on the market, and it would mean automotive products could undergo one series of approvals in one country in order to place products on the UK and EU markets.The UK and the EU would continue recognising the activities of one another’s vehicle type approval authorities, including whole vehicle type approval certificates, assessments of conformity of production procedures and other associated activities.We look forward to continuing our negotiations with the EU on this issue.

Food

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what role food policy plays in the UK's negotiations with the EU; and which food policy experts the Government has consulted in order to develop its negotiating position.

Chris Heaton-Harris: As we leave the EU, we are clear: consumers must be confident that food has been produced to a high standard. As set out in the White Paper on the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, we are seeking a new partnership that ensures continued tariff-free and frictionless trade in food, drink and other agricultural products between the UK and the EU.There is regular engagement with colleagues across Whitehall and with industry across the UK, including with the Food and Drink Federation, to inform the UK’s negotiating position.

Borders: Northern Ireland

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on border infrastructure in Northern Ireland after the UK has left the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on ensuring that we meet our clear Joint Report commitment to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The Joint Report in December made clear that the UK is committed to avoiding any physical border infrastructure, or related checks and controls. The commitment was also reiterated unanimously by the House in passing Lords amendment 25 to the EU (Withdrawal) Act.

Brexit

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the timeframe is for the publication of all the reports on the effect on the UK of leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We firmly believe it is in the interests of both the EU and the UK to strike a deal. That remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved. But it is the job of a responsible Government to prepare for all scenarios, including the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal.We have already carried out very significant ‘no deal’ preparations and on 23 August we published 25 technical notices, intended to inform people, businesses and stakeholders about steps they may need to take in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario. These were the first in a series of updates which we will be publishing over the coming weeks.This does not reflect an increased likelihood of ‘no deal;’ an acceleration at this point was long-planned to ensure plans are in place by March 2019 in the unlikely scenario they are needed. We are confident that we will deliver a good deal that Parliament will want to support and when we bring forward the vote on the final deal we will ensure that Parliament is presented with the appropriate analysis.

Department of Health and Social Care

General Practitioners

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to make it easier for people to receive a GP appointment.

Steve Brine: The Government has committed to ensuring that by 2019 everyone in the country has easier and more convenient access to general practice services. This includes ensuring that access is available at peak times of demand, including bank holidays and across the Easter, Christmas and New Year periods.The latest National Health Service planning guidance, published by NHS England in February 2018, brought forward the delivery timescale to 1 October 2018, to ensure additional capacity is in place ahead of winter 2018.As part of the General Practice Forward View, published by NHS England in 2016, a number of initiatives were put in place to support practices and other providers to improve access to general practice services, building on successful approaches piloted through the GP Access Fund schemes. This includes delivering services at scale with better use of digital technology, using a wider workforce and enabling self-care and direct access to other services.

General Practitioners

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to increase the number of GP's in more populated areas.

Steve Brine: NHS England and Health Education England (HEE) are working together with the profession to increase the general practitioner (GP) workforce. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why GPs are leaving the profession, and encourage GPs to return to practice.The number of doctors entering speciality training has been increasing year on year. In 2017/18, there were 3,157 new starters recruited to speciality GP training posts, the highest number recruited ever. A £20,000 salary supplement is also available to selected trainees committing to completing their training in areas of the country which have historically struggled to recruit trainees.In August 2017 NHS England announced plans to accelerate its international recruitment programme and recruit 2,000 doctors into English general practice over the following three years. To boost retention there is a broad offer available to support GPs to remain in the NHS including the GP Health Service, the GP Retention Scheme, and the recently launched £10 million GP Retention Fund which includes funds targeted at specific areas.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 28 of the Government's 2017 Drug Strategy, published in July 2017, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) potential benefits and disbenefits of the proposals to use locally retained business rates for the funding of alcohol treatment services and (b) effect of those proposals on the provision of such services in deprived areas.

Steve Brine: It is for individual local authorities to decide what resources to commit to different public health services, including alcohol treatment services, to meet the needs of their local populations. Under the current system of 50% retained business rates, local authorities that receive more in business rates income than their baseline funding level contribute through a tariff, which is used to top up local authorities that receive less business rates income than their baseline funding level. The Government has been clear that under any future system there will continue to be redistribution of business rates between local authorities to take account of their relative needs.

Tuberculosis: Drug Resistance

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to  provide financial support for research to small and medium-sized enterprises developing new tools for the (a) prevention, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment of drug-resistant TB.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department funds research mainly through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). As the most integrated clinical research system in the world, we drive research from bench to bedside for the benefit of patients and the economy. The NIHR funds high quality research to improve health, trains and supports health researchers, provides world-class research facilities, works with the life sciences industry and charities to benefit all, and involves patients and the public at every step. The NIHR’s research programmes provide a flexible source of funding for researchers, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with the aim of improving public and patient health and care. Our Invention for Innovation (i4i) and Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programmes accept applications from SMEs as lead applicants collaborating with a National Health Service and/or academic partner. Other NIHR programmes accept applications from SMEs as co-applicants. Through the NIHR, the Government is also investing in research infrastructure in the NHS to ensure that we have the right facilities and people for a thriving research environment. The NIHR enables SMEs to access experts and develop collaborations within our world-leading infrastructure, supporting them to translate fundamental biomedical research into the clinical setting, run studies in the NHS and develop new treatments, diagnostics and medical devices. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including drug resistant tuberculosis (TB); it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Research on TB and drug resistant TB is supported by the Department nationally through the NIHR and internationally through support for research programmes delivered through other Government departments. Currently, a major part of the NIHR’s contribution to TB research is the Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) on Respiratory Infections at Imperial College London. This started in 1 April 2014 and has received funding of £4.21 million. The HPRU is a collaboration between Public Health England, Imperial College and Oxford University and undertakes research on diagnostics, surveillance, treatment and management of TB. Globally, the Department for Health and Social Care supports research on TB by SMEs through the Department for International Development (DFID). DFID is the UK Government’s lead to the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance) a not-for-profit product-development-partnership dedicated to the discovery, development and delivery of better, faster-acting and affordable TB drugs; and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), which includes TB as one of its priority diseases. In 2017, the Department also provided financial support for research with a £4.5 million one off contribution through its Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget to the TB Alliance. The TB Alliance and FIND work with many different partners in the public, private (i.e. industry including SMEs), academic, and philanthropic sectors in a wide range of countries across the globe to develop new treatments and diagnostics for TB, including drug sensitive and drug resistant TB.

Anticoagulants

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to complete the peer review of the systematic overview of reviews on the effective, safe and appropriate use of anticoagulation medicines undertaken by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre; and when that final report will be published.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which stakeholders were involved in (a) developing the protocol for and (b) conducting the systematic overview of reviews on the effective, safe and appropriate use of anticoagulation medicines undertaken by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to hold a consultation on the findings of the systematic overview of reviews on the effective, safe and appropriate use of anticoagulation medicines undertaken by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre.

Caroline Dinenage: ‘The effective, safe and appropriate use of anticoagulation medicines: A systematic overview of reviews' has been peer reviewed and was published in July 2018. It is available at the following link: http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=3733 The Department, NHS England and members of the Anticoagulants Advisory Committee, a group of external academic and clinician advisors with expertise in anticoagulation therapy, were consulted on the protocol. The Reviews Facility, which is led by the EPPI-Centre and includes the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, carried out the review independently. Amendments were made to the report following peer review. The Department currently has no plans to hold a consultation on the findings.

Pharmacy: Sheffield Hallam

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the proposed average payments to community pharmacies were in Sheffield Hallam constituency under the Pharmacy Access Scheme in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Steve Brine: The average payments for community pharmacies located in the Sheffield Hallam constituency made through the Pharmacy Access Scheme were:£8,007 per year in 2016/17; and£15,173 per year in 2017/18.

Pharmacy: Sheffield Hallam

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average payments to community pharmacies were in Sheffield Hallam in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Steve Brine: The average payments to community pharmacies in the Sheffield Hallam constituency were:£632,488 per year in 2016/17; and£628,579 per year in 2017/18. These payments to pharmacies are to reimburse them for the cost of dispensed products and to remunerate them for the provision of nationally commissioned, advanced and enhanced services under the community pharmacy contractual framework, and some local services commissioned by NHS England.

Pharmacy: Closures

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the closure of community pharmacies.

Steve Brine: There remains good access to community pharmacies with 88% of the population able to access their local pharmacy on foot within 20 minutes. To help maintain access to face-to-face National Health Service pharmaceutical services in areas with fewer pharmacies the Government introduced a Pharmacy Access Scheme (PHAS), under which pharmacies eligible for the scheme receive a ‘top-up’ payment, thus requiring them to make smaller efficiency savings than other non-PhAS pharmacies.

Postnatal Care

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,what steps his Department is taking to increase funding for new mothers' postnatal checks.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Currently, there are no plans to increase funding for new mothers' postnatal checks. However, Better Births, the report of the National Maternity Review, published in February 2016, outlined that better postnatal care was a key requirement for improved maternity services. It recommended that women should have access to their midwife and obstetrician as they require after having had their baby, as well as the need to ensure a smooth transition to on-going care in the community from their general practitioner and health visitor. Forty-four Local Maternity Systems (LMS) have come together across sustainability and transformation partnership footprints to lead the transformation of local maternity services in England, and are implementing plans to deliver the vision of Better Births, including the recommendations on better postnatal care. Additional national support will be provided to LMS by NHS England, which has convened an Expert Reference Group to advise on further opportunities make improvement in this important time for women and babies.

Postnatal Depression

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has met with the representations of the National Childbirth Trust to discuss the findings of its  report, Hidden Half: bringing postnatal mental illness out of hiding, published in June 2017 and recommendations for tackling low rates of identification of perinatal mental illness.

Jackie Doyle-Price: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not met with the National Childbirth Trust. The Department is aware of the National Childbirth Trust’s ‘Hidden Half’ Campaign. We are grateful to the National Childbirth Trust for their campaigning on this important issue. This Government is committed to improving perinatal mental health services for women during pregnancy and in the first postnatal year, so that women are able to access the right care at the right time and close to home. The Department is investing £365 million from 2015/16 to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services, and NHS England is leading a transformation programme to ensure that, by 2020/21, at least 30,000 more women each year are able to access evidence-based specialist mental health care during the perinatal period.

Mental Illness: Children

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the evidence of a link between perinatal mental illness and emotional and behavioural problems in children, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate identification through primary care of (a) that illness and (b) those problems.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department is investing £365 million from 2015/16 to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services, and NHS England is leading a transformation programme to ensure that, by 2020/21, at least 30,000 more women each year are able to access evidence-based specialist mental health care during the perinatal period. Over £1.2 million was provided in 2017 to enable the training of primary care, maternity and mental health staff to increase awareness and skills related to perinatal mental health. NHS England has also invested in multidisciplinary perinatal mental health clinical networks across the country to drive forward change, focusing on collaborative working to develop local, integrated pathways and support early identification of those at risk of mental illness in the perinatal period, to enable better outcomes for women in all communities. We are expanding access to appropriate mental health support for children and young people that need it, including those with emotional and behavioural problems. Primary care is an essential part of the pathway and can assist in referring on to children and young people’s mental health services.

Health Services: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of take-up rates by levels of household income of recipients of the health check for children aged two years undertaken by health visitors.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Data on the take up rates of the health check of children aged two years undertaken by health visitors is only available at local authority level. Data on take-up rates by levels of household income of recipients of the health check for children aged two years undertaken by health visitors is not collected. Therefore, no direct comparison can be made between household income and uptake of service.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential causal link between respiratory diseases and deprivation and its effect on levels of (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (b) cancer, (c) tuberculosis, (d) pneumonia, (e) pulmonary fibrosis and (f) asthma; and what steps he is taking to reduce any such inequalities relating to respiratory diseases.

Steve Brine: NHS England is committed to reducing health inequalities, and respiratory disease will be a clinical priority in the National Health Service long-term plan. Evidence shows that disadvantaged groups and areas of deprivation experience higher incidence rates of respiratory disease (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma). This is in part due to higher levels of smoking, exposure to higher levels of air pollution, poor housing conditions, early life experiences and exposure to occupational hazards. National programmes such as the Elective Care Programme, NHS RightCare and Getting It Right First Time are focussing on respiratory disease management and have outlined the benefits that improvements in this area can bring to patients. Cancer of the larynx and lung are more common in the 20% most deprived patients relative to the 20% more well off patients. Smoking and increased alcohol consumption, both risk factors for these cancers, are also more common amongst more deprived populations. NHS England is to pilot low dose CT scanning for lung cancer, focussing on those clinical commissioning groups with the highest lung cancer mortality and incidence. These pilots, together with the implementation of rapid diagnosis pathways for lung cancer will help to close the gap in inequalities.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support biomedical research on myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) recognises that myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a debilitating condition. The NIHR is speaking with the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME Research Collaborative and patient representatives about how best we can support a joined up approach to high quality research into this complex disorder. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including ME; it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Midwives: Training

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many training places for midwifery were (a) commissioned and (b) filled in each of the last two years.

Stephen Barclay: Health Education England (HEE) made 2,605 midwifery training places available in England in the 2016-17 academic year, with 2,602 of these places filled. The reforms for healthcare education funding from August 2017 mean students have moved onto the student loans system for 2017-18; giving universities the flexibility to provide additional places, based on local need and National Health Service clinical capacity. Health Education England will continue to fund the required number of clinical placements to meet the longer-term NHS workforce needs. Based on the latest un-validated data HEE expect 2,692 training places to be filled in England in 2017-18. The Government has committed to increasing the number of available midwifery training places in England by more than 3,000 over a four year period from 2019. The increase in available places will start in the 2019 academic year, with an additional 650 training places with increases of 1,000 in the subsequent years.

Midwives: Training

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total number of midwives in training was in each of the last two years.

Stephen Barclay: The total numbers of midwives in training in England as at 31 March 2017 was 6,559. Data on the number of midwives in training in 2018 is not yet available.The Government has committed to increasing the number of available midwifery training places in England by more than 3,000 over a four year period from 2019. The increase in available places will start in the 2019 academic year, with an additional 650 training places with increases of 1,000 in the subsequent years.

Midwives: Age

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the age profile is of midwives at the (a) most recent date for which figures are available and (b) the equivalent date in each year since 2010.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many midwives working in the NHS in England were aged 70 or older in each of the last two years.

Stephen Barclay: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers. The attached table shows the number of registered midwives by five-year age band in National Health Service trusts and CCGs in England as at 31 May of each specified year, headcount. The following table shows the number of registered midwives, and those who are aged 70 or older, working in NHS trusts and CCGs in each of the two years, headcount:  May 2017May 2018All registered midwives26,06026,130of which:  70 and over1921Source: NHS HCHS monthly workforce statistics, NHS Digital There are also more than 6,000 midwives in training, and we have also announced plans to train more than 3,000 extra midwives over four years. 



Registered Midwives by age band 2010-2018
(Word Document, 23.27 KB)

Midwives: Graduates

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many midwifery graduates there were in England in each of the last two years.

Stephen Barclay: The following table shows the number of midwives who graduated in England in each academic year, for the period from 2015-16 to 2016-17. Data for 2017-18 is not yet available.Academic year2015-162016-17Midwifery graduates2,0622,122   Source: Health Education England analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record

Heathrow Airport

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the NHS has been of providing emergency medical provision for incidents on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport in each of the last six years.

Stephen Barclay: This information is not held centrally.

Health Services: Developing Countries

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to share the expertise and learning generated from the NHS with health minsters in developing countries.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the role and remit is of his Department's Global Health Team.

Steve Brine: The Department has two key teams dealing with global health. The Department of Health and Social Care’s International Team leads on the United Kingdom’s relationship with the World Health Organization and health aspects of other international bodies and fora, including certain other United Nations organisations, the G7, the G20 and the Commonwealth, working closely with the Department for International Development, Public Health England (PHE) and other partners across Government. It also leads on the Department of Health and Social Care’s bilateral relationships with other countries; on co-ordinating strategy across Government; and on the health implications of trade. This collaboration entails information-sharing with a number of countries including lower and middle income countries, including during international meetings, through the facilitation of visits by overseas delegations, and by working with officials at the Department for International Development on their programmes. The Department of Health and Social Care shares expertise and learning with officials in developing countries at all levels in health ministries. The Global Health Security team, through the Department’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocation, works closely with a number of low and middle income countries (LMICs) to share best practice and build capacity including through the Fleming Fund to strengthen surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the International Health Regulations (IHR) strengthening project and the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST). The team also works to support the Chief Medical Officer in strengthening international collaboration to tackle AMR. In addition, the Global Health Research team uses ODA funding to commission and deliver research of direct and primary benefit to people in LMICs, through the National Institute for Health Research, to improve global health outcomes. Public Health England (PHE) delivers ongoing programmes of work in developing countries to provide training and facilitate health systems strengthening. Information sharing is part of this work. PHE also works with specific countries to improve their capability for compliance with IHRs, and has formal memoranda of understanding with India and Nigeria to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise. The PHE UK-PHRST responds to urgent requests from ODA eligible countries to support them to control disease outbreaks.

Health Services: Developing Countries

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department works with the Department of International Development to promote a shared agenda on universal health coverage.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to promote universal healthcare coverage at the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has made to prepare for the High-Level Meeting at the UN General Assembly on universal health care in 2019.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) works closely with the Department for International Development (DFID) engaging regularly and at all levels to promote a shared agenda on the importance of achieving universal health coverage. We take a “one HMG” approach on all aspects of global health. This includes through international fora such as the World Health Organization (WHO), where DHSC leads the United Kingdom relationship, working in partnership with DFID and others; including sending joint delegations to WHO meetings. Achieving Global Goal 3 by 2030, including universal health coverage (UHC), is a priority for the UK. At the World Health Assembly this year, the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (the Rt. hon. Jeremy Hunt MP) stressed the importance of universal access to basic healthcare in the UK National Address. We also supported the agreement of WHO’s thirteenth General Programme of Work, with its strong focus on UHC. Preparations for the United Nations (UN) high-level meeting on UHC at the UN General Assembly in 2019 are still at an early stage but DHSC is engaging closely in the work led by DFID to identify clear deliverables that will enhance greater collective action to achieve UHC. We are working with DFID to ensure that UHC, and the steps to achieve it, are discussed in international fora, such as the G7 and G20, ahead of the High-Level Meeting.

Alcoholic Drinks: Minimum Prices

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the review of the evidence for minimum unit pricing for alcohol in England announced on 8 May 2018.

Steve Brine: The United Kingdom Government is commissioning Public Health England to carry out a scientific review into the impact of minimum unit pricing following its introduction in Scotland. The precise scope and timing of outputs from the review are still under consideration.

Spondyloarthritis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with stakeholders to ensure the implementation of the June 2018 NICE Quality Standard on Spondyloarthritis; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Department is not involved in the direct promotion of quality standards. Whilst healthcare and other professionals in the National Health Service are expected to take clinical guidelines which offer education and self-management for patients diagnosed with arthritic conditions fully into account. Clinical guidelines do not override the responsibility of healthcare clinicians to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of each patient. On 28 June 2018, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a new Quality Standard (QS) on spondyloarthritis. The QS includes four quality statements identified as the markers of high quality spondyloarthritis care. The first statement sets out that adults with suspected axial or peripheral spondyloarthritis are referred to a rheumatologist. The standard advises that this may be monitored through local data collection, such as audit of patient records.

Patients: Travel

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2018 to Question 145302 on Patients: Travel, what steps his Department has taken to publish the report on patient travel times.

Steve Brine: The National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service has published three reports relating to patient travel times and cancer: ‘Travel Times and Methodology’ summarises our investigations of several possible ways of calculating travel times; ‘Travel Times and Cancer Survival’ is an overview of survival for the four most common cancers, relative to travel time to the nearest hospital with a relevant mutli-disciplinary team; and ‘Travel Times and Cancer Treatment’ looks at treatment with radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer, relative to travel time to a radiotherapy centre. The reports are available at the following link: http://www.ncin.org.uk/cancer_type_and_topic_specific_work/topic_specific_work/travel_times

Internet: Bullying

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport on tackling online trolling and the effect of trolling on people’s psychological wellbeing.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The current Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (the Rt. hon. Matt Hancock MP) is yet to discuss online trolling with the current Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (the Rt. hon. Jeremy Wright MP). However, this Government is clear that online abuse of any kind is unacceptable and the Departments are working together on this. To help tackle some of the issues around the potential negative impacts of the online environment for children and young people’s mental health, the previous Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (the Rt. hon. Jeremy Hunt MP) and the previous Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (the Rt. hon. Matt Hancock MP) set up a working group with social media companies. Within this group we discussed how the companies could take concrete action, particularly in the areas of improved age verification tackling long periods online and harmful content. We understand that companies have some existing work in place in these areas, and that there are significant challenges, but we are keen for further action to be taken. This is why the previous Secretary of State for Health and Social Care asked social media companies to set out their formal positions on this work and how they envisage we could work together to make further progress. We have received a number of responses and we are working closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as we consider our next steps, including our contribution to their joint work with the Home Office on a White Paper on on-line harms, following their Internet Safety Strategy Green Paper.

Internet: Bullying

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on educating children and young people about online trolling and the support that is available to them to aid psychological wellbeing and build resilience.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Across Government, we are clear for the need to take action to tackle the increase in cyberbullying and are incorporating such action within related work streams across health, education and culture. The Department of Education is clear that all schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying - including cyberbullying - and recognise that bullying of any kind can now, just as easily, occur online as face to face. Teaching about social media and internet safety will be integrated into the new subjects of Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education, which schools will be encouraged and supported to teach from September 2019 and required to teach from September 2020. Pupils will be taught about online risks so they can learn to recognise potential dangers for themselves, and about broader steps they can take to protect and support their own and others’ health and wellbeing. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education will continue to work together as we enter the implementation phase of the Green Paper on Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services, which aims to improve provision of mental health support in schools and enable children and young people to access earlier help for emerging problems.

Hospices: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the proposed NHS pay award works favourably for charitable hospices whose staff are not employed on an Agenda for Change contract.

Stephen Barclay: We recognise that the hospice sector faces particular challenges in relation to funding, given the need to consider pay rates for nursing staff in the light of the Agenda for Change pay agreement.Organisations that must implement the entire pay deal, not just headline pay, will receive additional funding for 2018/19 directly. However, from 2019/20 funding is included in the long-term funding settlement and will be provided through the NHS England mandate.It will be a matter for NHS England to consider arrangements for hospice funding as part of the National Health Service long-term plan linked to the funding settlement that will see funding for the NHS rise by an average 3.4% per year; £20.5 billion a year extra in real terms by 2023.We expect that clinical commissioning groups and NHS England, who commission hospice services, will consider pay pressures as part of wider contract discussions.

Hospices: Nurses

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment Health Education England has made of the adequacy of (a) staff numbers, (b) pay and (c) employment terms and conditions in the hospice and associated voluntary sector as part of its long-term workforce planning for (i) nurses and (ii) children's nurses.

Caroline Dinenage: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) determine the level of National Health Service-funded hospice care locally and are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population. CCGs are best placed to understand local needs and to fund services to meet those needs from the overall resource allocations they receive. Health Education England’s (HEE’s) role is advising the health care system to ensure a sufficient supply of registered nurses are in the labour market, from which palliative care nurses can be drawn. HEE does not specifically plan for the numbers of palliative care nurses. Palliative care training is a professional development activity that is often funded by employers. This specialism is open to registered nurses. HEE has worked with partners at a national and Cancer Alliance level to develop Stage 1 of the Cancer Workforce Plan. This stage has focused on the supply issues related to seven occupations who are central to cancer care. Reforms to healthcare education funding that started to take effect from 1 August 2017 have unlocked the cap which constrains the number of pre-registration nursing, training places allowing students to gain access to nurse degree training courses. To support this, we announced additional clinical placement funding to make available 5,000 more training places each year from September 2018.

Tobacco

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the availability of a reliable body of independent research on heat-not-burn products.

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what gaps his Department has identified in the available independent research into the safety of heat-not-burn products.

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with health departments of governments overseas on the development of research into heat-not-burn products.

Steve Brine: The Government has committed Public Health England (PHE) to annually reviewing the evidence on e-cigarettes and novel tobacco products, such as heated tobacco products, until the end of Parliament in 2022. PHE’s current review was published in February 2018. The review looked at the latest available evidence on heated tobacco products and, based on that evidence, concluded that these products were less harmful than cigarettes, but more harmful than e-cigarettes. This is in agreement with the Committee on Toxicity (CoT), who concluded in December 2017 that there is a likely reduction in risk for smokers switching to heated tobacco products.Both PHE and CoT identified shortcomings in the current evidence base: there are no long term studies as these products are relatively new, and a majority of the research is carried out by the tobacco industry. The Department will review and consider where there are gaps in evidence for further independent research, and continues to collaborate and share knowledge both in the United Kingdom and internationally to help develop the research base and understanding of these products. The UK Government is also represented on the Global Tobacco Regulators' Forum, which brings together a number of countries, as well as the European Union and World Health Organization, to discuss regulatory issues of common interest, including research into heated tobacco products.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria are used by NHS Trust employees to request proof of an individual’s eligibility to receive free hospital healthcare.

Stephen Barclay: The National Health Service is a residency-based healthcare system, with a requirement to be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom in order to access NHS-funded healthcare. Providers of relevant NHS services are required to make and recover charges from overseas visitors where relevant services have been provided to them and no exemption applies. There is no requirement on NHS staff to check a patient’s identification and asking for, or providing, ID is not a requirement of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017. It is up to providers of NHS care to assure themselves that they do everything reasonable to determine a patient’s eligibility for NHS-funded healthcare. National guidance advises them to be flexible in terms of accepting evidence to demonstrate a patient’s residence or chargeable status, including considering the position of particularly vulnerable patients who may struggle to provide documentation.

General Practitioners

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) Brighton and Hove and (b) other similar cities in England have an adequate number of GP surgeries.

Steve Brine: The General Practice Forward View (GP Forward View), published in April 2016, commits to increasing investment in General Practice by £2.4 billion a year by 2020/21 from £9.7 billion in 2015/16 to over £12 billion by 2020/21 – a 14% real-terms increase. This investment will improve patient care and access, and facilitate new ways of providing primary care. Commissioners of primary medical care services monitor practice catchment areas to ensure that all areas of the country have primary medical care cover, and through an annual review of every primary medical care contract are aware of local primary medical care capacity and how this meets demand. Practices are funded on a weighted population basis and therefore, where populations grow gradually, practices receive additional investment to take on new patients which allows them to grow to maintain services for patients. There has been a national trend in practices becoming larger, employing more staff and operating with a more diverse workforce in order to meet rising demand. Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is investing in general practice to improve patients’ access to GP services and increase the range of services to help support patients manage their conditions. Measures include financial and educational support to help GPs run their surgeries more effectively and efficiently. A key part of local plans to improve health and social care across the city is to make general practice more sustainable, more resilient and ensure it works efficiently and effectively for many years ahead. This will include integrating some services with other clinical specialists, for example pharmacists better supporting GPs, and helping GPs work more collaboratively. There are also a number of specific schemes in place as part of the CCG’s workforce strategy including the GP retention package and overseas recruitment.

Patients: Transport

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the operation of externally managed patient transport to ensure that there is no diminution of service standards; and if he will make a statement.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many complaints there have been in which categories about the operation by Arriva Transport Solutions of patient transport in the south-west in each year for which information is available.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which body is responsible for setting the criteria on who is eligible for the transport of patients to health facilities.

Steve Brine: Patient Transport Services (PTS) are commissioned and assessed locally by National Health Service clinical commissioning groups, which are responsible for the delivery of effective PTS.The document, ‘Eligibility Criteria for Patient Transport Services (2007)’, published by the Department, sets out the patient eligibility criteria for PTS.Data regarding complaints made about local PTS are not collected centrally.

Drugs: Misuse

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department has allocated to harm reduction strategies in relation to (a) GHB and (b) GHL.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if will he will make an assessment of the potential merits of testing for the use of (a) GHB and (b) GHL in standard toxicology reports where the cause of death is unclear.

Steve Brine: The public health grant is allocated to local authorities to meet all of their public health responsibilities and no amount is specifically allocated to harm reduction strategies. It is up to each local authority to decide how much of the grant they allocate to drug prevention and treatment services to meet the needs of their local population.Public Health England (PHE) established a national HIV Prevention Innovation Fund to support new approaches to prevention that could be replicated elsewhere and are focused on engaging at-risk or under-served communities. This includes supporting services for men who have sex with men and use drugs such as gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) during sex.No specific assessment has been made of the potential merits of testing for the use of GHB and GBL in standard toxicology reports where the cause of death is unclear.

Self-harm: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) boys and (b) girls aged (i) 0-10, (ii) 11-13, (iii) 14, (iv) 15 and (v) 16 and 17 years old have been admitted to hospital in England as a result of (A) self-harm and (B) self-poisoning in each year since 2015.

Jackie Doyle-Price: A count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with an external cause of self-harm and self-poisoning for boys and girls aged 0-10, 11-13, 14, 15 and 16 and 17 years old in England for the years 2014-15 to 2016-17 is shown in the attached table owing to its size. An FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.



PQ169127 attached document
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.86 KB)

Health Professions: Labour Turnover

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve recruitment and retention for operating department practitioners.

Caroline Dinenage: Recruitment and retention is matter for National Health Service trusts to manage at a local level. Currently, all trusts across England have access to a series of retention masterclasses provided by NHS Improvement – the first and second series last year were attended by over 400 trust representatives. NHS Improvement has recently announced a third series of masterclasses for the beginning of October 2018. NHS Improvement also facilitates the sharing of good practice around the country in collaboration with NHS Employers.

Health Professions: Recruitment

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to attract registered staff to work within the perioperative environment.

Caroline Dinenage: Recruitment is a matter for National Health Service trusts to manage at the local level. Health Education England (HEE) leads a Return to Practice (RtP) programme that enables Nurses, Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) (including Operating Department Practitioners) and healthcare scientists that have left their professions to re-enter and gain their Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration. The RtP programme led by HEE is open to and supports: - All AHPs or healthcare scientists who live and plan to work in England, once returned to the HCPC register;- AHPs or healthcare scientists who have previously registered with the HCPC or qualified in the United Kingdom, but have not registered in the last five years; and- Registrants who remained on the HCPC register for more than two years but have not practiced.

Health Professions: Recruitment

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure the sustainability of the supply of new entrants as operating department practitioners.

Caroline Dinenage: Reforms to healthcare education funding that started to take effect from 1 August 2017 have unlocked the cap which constrained the number of pre-registration healthcare programmes, including those for Operating Department Practitioners (ODP), allowing students to gain access to degree training courses. Separately, Health Education England will be supporting the implementation of an apprenticeship route to professional qualification for ODPs offering an ‘earn as you learn’ route in to the profession.

Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disease (PANDAS); and if his will make it his policy for officials in his Department to attend the the first PANDAS UK conference at Imperial College London on 22 September 2018.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disease Associated with Streptococcal Infections is a term used to describe a subset of children and adolescents who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and/or tic disorders, and in whom symptoms worsen following streptococcal (strep) infections. Treatment for these symptoms, including psychological therapies, is available from the National Health Service. The Department does not require its staff to attend specific external events, but practitioners from the NHS will be taking part at the PANDAS UK conference on 22 September.

Department of Health and Social Care: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

Stephen Barclay: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for European Union Exit preparations in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Department of Health and Social Care: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total cost to the public purse for his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Stephen Barclay: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the devolved administrations for European Union exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: - £412 million of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016; - £286 million of additional funding for 2017/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 2017/18) at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf - Over £1.5 billion of additional funding for 2018/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on 13 March.

NHS: Crimes of Violence

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many assaults there have been on NHS staff in each year since 2009.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many assaults there have been on NHS staff in Suffolk in each year since 2009.

Stephen Barclay: The number of assaults on National Health Service staff from 2009–2016 is shown in the following table. Data since 2016 has not been collected centrally following the dissolution of NHS Protect in 2017.The following tables cover assaults caused by medical and non-medical factors, with the majority of recorded assaults involving medical factors1.YearNumber of assaults (includes both medical and non-medical factors)2009-1056,7182010-1157,8302011-1259,7442012-1361,5712013-1468,6832014-1567,8642015-1670,555 Note:1Assaults involving medical factors is the number of assaults that were attributed to the medical illness, mental ill health, severe learning disability of the assailant, or treatment administered to the assailant.  The number of assaults on NHS staff in Suffolk2 for 2009–16 is set out in the following table.YearNumber of assaults (includes both medical and non-medical factors) in Suffolk2009-102552010-112982011-121,2112012-131,5292013-141,5952014-151,7012015-161,692 Note: 2During this period the following Trusts operated either wholly or partly in Suffolk: Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, West Suffolk Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust Employers across the NHS are responsible for protecting their staff. The Government is committed to helping trusts discharge their obligations to keep their staff safe through its manifesto commitment that it “will take vigorous and immediate action against those who abuse or attack the people who work for and make our NHS” and strengthening legislation.The Department is working with NHS Improvement and NHS England on plans for new central support arrangements to help trusts tackle assaults and abuse of their staff including a new data collection.The Department also announced that paramedics will be given body cameras to protect them from abuse. This scheme will be piloted in North East and South East Coast Ambulance Services before being rolled out.The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Bill 2017-19 will become law imminently meaning tougher sentences can be handed down against those who attack and abuse public services staff including NHS staff in the course of their duties.

Breast Cancer: Health Education

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospital trusts are providing access to a patient education and support event for breast cancer patients.

Steve Brine: Information collated by NHS England in 2017 indicates that around half of hospital trusts were delivering patient education and support events for breast cancer patients. However, it is important to note that in the same information collection, almost all trusts indicated they are providing health and wellbeing information and support through various methods, including one-to-one conversations. Additionally, the recovery package, a set of four interventions designed to help patients and clinicians assess a patient’s holistic needs and plan appropriately for their care and support, is being commissioned and delivered in full or in part by many clinical commissioning groups and providers across England.

Respite Care: Hospital Beds

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made on the number of adult social care respite beds provided by local authorities in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not centrally held.

General Practitioners: Data Protection

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of Subject Access Requests to GPs in each of the last 12 months.

Steve Brine: The General Data Protection Regulation came into force in May 2018. It is too soon to make a meaningful assessment of the impact to the public purse of Subject Access Requests to general practitioners.

Drugs

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department plans to allocate to products undergoing review by the NHS England relative prioritisation process in 2019-20.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the funding allocated for 2018-19 for products approved by the relative prioritisation process was allocated to products approved for use in the (a) November 2017 and (b) May 2018 commissioning rounds.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the (a) Clinical Priorities Advisory Group and (b) the Specialised Services Commissioning Committee plan to meet to discuss the next round of products for consideration by the relative prioritisation process.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2018 to Question 142774 on Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, if he will publish the methodology used to determine the adequacy of the level of funding in relation to the overall efficiency savings in the Specialised Commissioning Directorate.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to share with manufacturers the cover sheets of the policy propositions sent to the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group for review in the May 2018 relative prioritisation round.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2018 to Question 142774 on Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, if he will publish the costing forecasts undertaken for all treatments which went through the relative prioritisation process in May 2018.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the compliance of the relative prioritisation process at NHS England with (a) equalities legislation, (b) the NHS Constitution and (c) human rights legislation.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if NHS England will publish the full matrix scoring methodology used to determine the relative prioritisation of products undergoing review by the relative prioritisation process in May 2018.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if NHS England will publish stakeholder responses to the public consultations on the draft policy propositions undergoing review by the relative prioritisation process in May 2018.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans NHS England has of introducing a revised decision-making process for ultra-orphan medicines, as introduced in Scotland following the publication of the Montgomery Review of Access to Medicines.

Steve Brine: The level of funding for products undergoing review by NHS England will be determined during the 2019/20 planning process. In 2016/17 and 2017/18, £25 million was set aside for discretionary investment in new specialised services. This was determined by NHS England, who considered it an appropriate level of investment in the context of NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning functioning having to achieve overall efficiency savings of approximately 2.5% and 2.7% in 2016/17 and 2017/18 respectively in order to meet the financial pressures resulting from demographic growth and the legal requirement to fund all positive National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisals. The split in the overall funding available between the November and May prioritisation rounds is not fixed but determined each year based on the number and estimated cost of treatments being considered by the independently chaired Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) in each round. Revealing the split risks revealing commercial in confidence information around pricing. Anything that is not prioritised in the November round has the opportunity to be considered at the May round therefore ensuring consideration against the full funding envelope for the financial year. Where manufacturers have requested the cover sheets of the policy propositions, they have received the CPAG summary report as presented at the May 2018 meeting from NHS England. The full scoring methodology that is used at all prioritisation meetings is published on the NHS England website. This can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/06/prioritisation-method-cons-response.pdf The outcome of the May 2018 prioritisation process through use of this methodology has been published as a ranked list of five prioritisation Levels. This can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2017/12/nhs-england-announces-new-specialised-treatments-for-patients/ The impact assessments for all the treatments include a narrative about the estimated forecast financial implications for each item, based on the list price. These are published as part of the public consultation pack. The detailed costings are not shared as in many cases these are based on discount prices provided on a commercial in confidence basis. The methodology for relative prioritisation has been subject to legal advice as part of its development and implementation, and NHS England believes it complies with equalities legislation, the NHS Constitution and human rights legislation. NHS England routinely publishes the stakeholder engagement response report as part of consultation through policy development, but does not routinely publish any responses that arise as a result of public consultation. NHS England has no plans to introduce a revised decision-making process for ultra-orphan medicines as introduced in Scotland following the Montgomery Review. NHS England will continue to use the methodology for prioritisation that has previously been publicly consulted on.

Rare Diseases: Drugs

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the sustainability of the NICE process for rare disease medicines that do not meet the Highly Specialised Technology criteria.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether drugs and other treatments represent an effective use of NHS resources.NICE’s methods and processes for the assessment of drugs have been carefully developed over time and are internationally respected. NICE continues to keep its procedures under periodic review to ensure that they remain fit for purpose.All topics, including drugs for rare diseases, are considered through a rigorous topic selection process before formal referral to NICE to ensure that NICE guidance is appropriate and will add value. NICE assesses most significant new drugs through its technology appraisal programme and has been able to recommend a number of drugs licenced for the treatment of rare diseases for routine use on the NHS.

Rare Diseases: Drugs

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government has taken to enable access agreements for rare disease medicines that do not meet the Highly Specialised Technology criteria.

Steve Brine: Drug companies have been able to propose patient access schemes, and more recently other commercial arrangements, for products undergoing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) appraisal for a number of years. Such arrangements have enabled NICE to recommend many products for use on the National Health Service that it may not otherwise have been able to recommend.

Department of Health and Social Care: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not available as we do not currently account for costs in a way that disaggregates all staff for European Union Exit and those working on the wider objectives of the Department. The overall costs incurred by the Department on staffing can be found in our annual report and accounts.

Breast Cancer: Diagnosis and Mortality Rates

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the most recent data on breast cancer (a) mortality rates and (b) stage detection rates by clinical commissioning groups.

Steve Brine: The most recent data on breast cancer diagnosis and mortality are from 2016, and are available in the following table. Directly age-standardised2 rates per 100,000 population of registrations of deaths from breast cancer (ICD-10 code: C50) between 2012 and 2016, England ICD-10 codeSex20122013201420152016C50Males0.30.40.30.30.3 Females36.435.334.534.334.1Source: Office for National Statistics https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/datasets/cancerregistrationstatisticscancerregistrationstatisticsengland Notes:According to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), breast cancer is defined as a malignant neoplasm of breast (ICD-10 code: C50).Directly age-standardised using the 2013 update of the European Standard Population with an upper age band of 90+. Data on stage at diagnosis for breast cancer at clinical commissioning group level is attached.



PQ169849 attached document
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Mental Health Services: Training

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has any targets to increase the availability of mental health care training opportunities.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government asked Health Education England (HEE) to work across all health bodies to develop a Mental Health Workforce plan, which was published in July 2017. ‘Stepping forward to 2020/21: The mental health workforce plan for England’ sets out concrete steps to deliver 21,000 new posts (professional and allied) across the mental health system, with the expectation that 19,000 of these places will be filled by staff employed directly by the National Health Service. The document is available at the following link: https://hee.nhs.uk/our-work/mental-health Health Education England will take this plan into account as it continues to commission mental health care training for professions such as clinical psychology, Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) professionals, general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. The expansion target for adult IAPT professionals is 4,500 between 2016 and 2021. For children and young people’s IAPT professionals, HEE will recruit and train 1,700 new professionals and train 3,400 existing NHS staff between 2016 and 2021. Across the NHS, there will be an extra 10,000 training places for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals by 2020.

NHS: Recruitment

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money his Department has spent on promoting NHS recruitment opportunities in each of the last five years.

Stephen Barclay: The information requested is shown in the following table. Financial yearAmount spent2014/15£02015/16£02016/17£02017/18£02018/19£2 million – the Department’s contribution to a national National Health Service recruitment campaign

NHS and Social Services

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent meetings he has had with local authority leaders to discuss improved co-operation between the NHS and social services.

Caroline Dinenage: All external meetings that Ministers have attended are published as part of the Department’s quarterly transparency returns. The returns covering 2017 and 2018 could be found in the GOV.UK website at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-external-meetings-2017 The return covering April to June 2018 has not yet been published but is expected to be soon. The Ministers in the Department regularly meet with representatives of local authorities including the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services – during these meetings a range of topics are discussed, including integration of health and social care.

NHS: Cybercrime

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what changes have been made to NHS (a) IT systems and (b) cyber security since the cyber attack in May 2017.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The National Health Service is putting in place robust measures to protect IT systems against cyber-attacks. Since May 2017 the Government has invested £60 million to support NHS providers to improve their security position, with a further £150 million pledged up until 2021 to improve the NHS’s resilience against attacks. The Department published its progress report in February 2018 entitled ‘Securing cyber resilience in health and care: progress update’. The report is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/securing-cyber-resilience-in-health-and-care-progress-update Key actions taken since February 2018 include:- signing a Windows 10 licensing agreement with Microsoft which will allow local NHS organisations to save money, reduce potential vulnerabilities and help increase cyber resilience;- enhancing the capability of the Cyber Security Operations Centre boosting the national capability to prevent, detect and respond to cyber-attacks through the procurement of IBM as a specialist partner;- launching the Data Security and Protection Toolkit which provides an accessible dashboard enabling trusts to track their progress in meeting the 10 Data Security Standards;- agreeing plans to implement the recommendations of the Chief Information Officer for Health and Care’s review of the May 2017 WannaCry attack;- provided specialist face to face security training (System Security Certified Practitioner - SSCP) for over 100 staff; and- in May 2018 the Network and Information Security Regulations came into force which requires operators of essential services (including some NHS healthcare providers) to put appropriate security measures in place and to report significant incidents that occur.

Dental Services

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) level and (b) quality of the provision of dentistry services by the NHS.

Steve Brine: NHS England has a legal duty to commission National Health Service dental services to meet the needs of the local population and to help patients who cannot find a local dentist. Nationally, access to NHS primary care dental services remains high. In the 24 month period ending 30 June 2018, 22.1 million adults were seen by an NHS dentist and in the 12 month period ending 30 June 2018, 6.9 million children were seen by an NHS dentist. The January to March 2017 general practitioner patient survey results were published in July 2018. These showed that 59% of adults questioned had tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the past two years and of those trying to get an appointment, 93% were successful. Access has improved greatly over recent years but we know inequalities remain. The Department and NHS England are continuing to test a new way of providing NHS dental services which aims to further improve oral health and increase access. NHS England’s Starting Well programme is also aiming to improve access for young children, most at risk of tooth decay, who are not currently under the care of a dentist. In respect of the quality of NHS dental services the Care Quality Commission inspects NHS dental practices against set standards and the General Dental Council is responsible for individuals’ professional standards. In addition to this the dental contract reform programme is testing a Dental Quality and Outcomes Framework which will be used to drive standards up even further.

Influenza: Vaccination

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the NHS has an adequate supply of flu vaccines in autumn 2018.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) provides flu vaccines centrally for the children’s flu programme so that eligible children are offered either the nasal spray Fluenz Tetra or an inactivated flu vaccine for those children for whom Fluenz Tetra is unsuitable. Centrally purchased flu vaccines are carefully monitored by PHE to ensure there is equitable distribution across England and sufficient in-date vaccine for patients who present throughout the season. General practitioners and other providers are directly responsible for the flu vaccine supplies used to deliver the national flu programme to the other eligible groups. Information on who is eligible is available at the following link: www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/who-should-have-flu-vaccine.aspx PHE maintains some oversight to help facilitate a constant supply of vaccine, liaising with vaccine manufacturers to ascertain whether there are any manufacturing problems which could impact the running of the programme at a national level.

Influenza

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has emergency plans in place to assist NHS hospitals in the event of a severe influenza outbreak this year.

Stephen Barclay: As part of winter resilience planning, all National Health Service trusts have plans in place to cope with capacity and demand in the event of flu emergencies. NHS winter plans for 2018-19 were published by NHS England and NHS Improvement on 7 September 2018. These include plans to drive up levels of vaccination among NHS frontline staff to help protect patients and reduce the impact of flu ahead of the winter months. Influenza vaccination remains the best protection against flu, and should be offered to everyone over the age of 65 years, those who are at particular risk of flu, and pregnant women, at the earliest opportunity. Influenza vaccination should also be offered to all frontline healthcare workers through their occupational health teams. This year all children between 2-9 years will be offered the nasal spray vaccine to help protect them and their families against influenza.

Cancer

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish all the Cancer Alliance delivery plans centrally.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on what conditions Cancer Alliances will receive (a) 25 per cent, (b) 50 per cent and (c) 75 per cent of their cancer transformation funding bids in 2018-19.

Steve Brine: Cancer Alliances locally own their delivery plans, and it is the responsibility of each Alliance to publish these plans. NHS England encourages all Alliances to publish their plans, and where Alliances’ plans are already readily available, NHS England will signpost to these on its website.The level of transformation funding received by each Cancer Alliance in 2018/19 is linked to their performance against the 62-day cancer waiting times standard as this is an important measure of a system’s readiness to implement significant transformation at pace and scale.Where an Alliance is meeting the standard, they will receive 100% of their transformation funding allocation. For Alliances who are not meeting the standard, they will receive a proportion of their transformation funding, dependent on their level of performance. This is as follows:- For an Alliance with a 62-day performance between 83% - 84.9%, they will receive 85% of their transformation funding allocation;- For an Alliance with a 62-day performance between 80% - 82.9%, they will receive 75% of their transformation funding allocation; and- For an Alliance with a 62-day performance of less than 80%, they will receive 50% of their transformation funding allocation.More information about the levels of transformation funding received by each Cancer Alliance in 2018/19 can be found on NHS England’s website at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/cancer/improve/cancer-alliances-improving-care-locally/nhs-england-support-and-funding-for-cancer-alliances/

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to encourage NHS England to publish online aggregate figures for 18 week wait performances by Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Stephen Barclay: Referral to Treatment data is collected by NHS England from providers of consultant-led services, and this data is reviewed and signed-off by commissioners. NHS England publishes data on consultant-led referral to treatment waiting times data on a monthly basis and includes national, provider and commissioner level data which can be accessed online at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/ NHS England have an agreed plan to ensure that any data collections are necessary, and collected in the most efficient and least burdensome way possible.

Medical Treatments: Innovation

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on establishing an Accelerated Access Collaborative to manage the new accelerated access pathway.

Steve Brine: The Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) has been successfully established, meeting for the first time in January 2018 and agreeing terms of reference and ways of working. Lord Darzi is the new chair of the AAC, replacing Sir Andrew Witty, who stood down to avoid any conflict of interest with his new role as CEO of Optum. We expect that the Accelerated Access Pathway will launch at the next meeting of the AAC, which will be in the autumn.

Medical Treatments: Innovation

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the accelerated access pathway is planned to begin designating breakthrough products.

Steve Brine: The Accelerated Access Collaborative will meet this autumn to launch the Accelerated Access Pathway and the first group of products will be part of their discussions.

Arthritis: Health Services

Thelma Walker: To ask Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that the treatment of NHS patients with rheumatoid arthritis is not interrupted in the event that the UK does not agree a withdrawal deal with the EU before March 2019.

Stephen Barclay: We understand that disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and other biological treatments including Etanercept is vitally important to many people in this country. Our contingency plans include sensible mitigations for medicines that come to the United Kingdom from or via the European Union, such as precautionary stockpiling by suppliers, to ensure that the supply of essential medicines to patients is not disrupted.

NHS: Foreign Nationals

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many foreign nationals from (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries are employed by NHS trusts in the Kirklees area.

Stephen Barclay: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care or in general practitoner surgeries, local authorities or other providers. The following table shows all staff employed in National Health Service trusts in the Kirklees area (Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust) by nationality, as at 31 May 2018, headcount.  HeadcountAll nationalities14,019of which: United Kingdom12,931European Union (excluding UK)297Other European Economic Area countries4Rest of the World526Unknown262Source: NHS HCHS monthly workforce statistics, NHS Digital Nationality is self-reported and may be a reflection of cultural heritage rather than country of birth.

Cerebral Palsy: Health Services

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce a national cerebral palsy register.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS England is responsible for securing high quality outcomes for people with cerebral palsy, and it has advised that there are currently no plans to establish a national register of children with the condition. PACE, the charity which supports children and families affected by motor disorders such as cerebral palsy indicates that the current United Kingdom incidence rate of cerebral palsy is around one in 400 births and that approximately 1,800 children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy every year. In October 2017, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published the Quality Standard ‘Cerebral palsy in children and young people’. This standard covers the diagnosis, assessment and management of cerebral palsy and comprises four Quality Statements which describe high quality cerebral palsy care that can be used for the measurement and improvement of services locally. This is available at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs162/resources/cerebral-palsy-in-children-and-young-people-pdf-75545597081797 Furthermore, on 16 July 2018, NICE published a draft guideline on the care and support adults with cerebral palsy should receive. It outlines the steps needed to address the variation in the provision of specific services for adults with cerebral palsy and aims to help local and regional services to provide consistent clear pathways of clinical and social care.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of Clinical Commissioning Groups that do not meet NICE guidelines for IVF treatment; and what steps he is taking to encourage those Groups to adhere to those guidelines.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has held with NHS England on the commissioning of fertility services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not collect official data on this subject matter. However, the national stakeholder organisation, Fertility Fairness, undertakes an annual survey using Freedom of Information requests directly from clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). Information collected for 2016/17 shows that 18 CCGs offer three cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), in line with the current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guidelines. Of the remaining CCGs that have not implemented the guidance in full 50 CCGs offer two cycles of IVF, 137 offer one cycle, and seven offer no routine service. The Government’s position that CCGs should be following the NICE fertility guidelines as part of their NHS services to local people. I plan to meet with officials from NHS England and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority shortly to discuss NHS commissioning of fertility services and what more might be done to support CCGs to improve their service offer.

Liothyronine

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase access to liothyronine on the NHS for people with hypothyroidism.

Steve Brine: It is for individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to determine the appropriate approach for the prescribing of liothyronine in their area in consultation with their local patients and stakeholders. Individual CCGs are also responsible for ensuring that patients with thyroid disorders have access to appropriate secondary care specialists where they are clinically required. Decisions about treatment should always be based on patients’ clinical needs. NHS England will continue to monitor the implementation of the guidance ‘Items which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care: guidance for CCGs’ published in November 2017 and will review it at regular intervals to address any unintended consequences. This is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/items-which-should-not-be-routinely-prescribed-in-primary-care-guidance-for-ccgs/ NHS Clinical Commissioners has reiterated to CCGs that liothyronine should only be prescribed where it is clinically appropriate to do so.

Abortion

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women in England have been refused an abortion on the NHS in the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information the number of women in England who have been refused an abortion on the National Health Service is not collected centrally.

Nutrition: Health Education

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2018 to Question 146303, on Nutrition: Health Education, when (a) Public Health England and (b) Government bodies plan to respond to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s final advice on saturated fat.

Steve Brine: The final Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) report on saturated fats and health is expected to be published in 2019. Following receipt of SACN’s final report, Public Health England and Government bodies will consider whether Government advice on saturated fats requires updating and will advise health ministers accordingly.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 10 July 2018 to Question 160799 on Health Services: Foreign Nationals, what processes his Department has put in place to monitor the effectiveness of NHS care providers in relation to determining the eligibility of patients; and what steps he has taken to ensure that the eligibilty criteria does not result in discrimination.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 10 July 20178 to Question 160799 on Health Services: Foreign Nationals, what steps he has taken to ensure that urgent care is not withheld from patients.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2018 to Question 160799 on Health Services: Foreign Nationals, whether he has received representations from (a) asylum seekers, (b) vulnerable migrants and (c) organisations representing (i) migrants and (ii) asylum seekers on urgent care being withheld from patients.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2018 to Question 160799 on Health Services: Foreign Nationals, what recent assessment his  Department has made of the effect of Government policy on deterring vulnerable non-UK citizens from seeking treatment on the NHS.

Stephen Barclay: The National Health Service is a residency-based healthcare system, with a requirement to be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom in order to access NHS-funded healthcare. Providers of relevant NHS services are required to make and recover charges from overseas visitors where relevant services have been provided to them and no exemption applies. The Department does not mandate any specific processes to determine the residence or chargeable status of patients. In order to identify those who may not be entitled to NHS-funded treatment, and to do so in a way that avoids racial profiling and discrimination, all patients need to be asked baseline questions to indicate whether they are ordinarily resident in the UK or if they may be an overseas visitor who should be assessed for charges. However, it is up to providers of NHS care to assure themselves that they are doing everything reasonable to determine the eligibility of patients who are entitled to receive free NHS care, an entitlement based on residency not nationality. The Department has published extensive guidance on implementing the overseas visitor charging regulations. This guidance is for use by all frontline staff providing National Health Service funded services, as well as the providers and commissioners of those services. It is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-overseas-visitors-hospital-charging-regulations The guidance clearly sets out that urgent or immediately necessary care must never be withheld, regardless of an individual’s ability to pay for the treatment. Clinicians are required to make the decision on whether treatment is urgent or immediately necessary for those patients identified as not eligible for NHS-funded care, taking into account a realistic expectation of when the individual is expected to leave the UK. As a result of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 patients are required to pay in advance if treatment is decided by a clinician to not be non-urgent. The Department has been carrying out a review of these Amendment Regulations, with evidence submitted by 31 organisations or individuals representing vulnerable migrants. The evidence is currently being considered and stakeholders will receive an update in due course. It is also worth noting that that the Charging Regulations already have extensive safeguards in place for the most vulnerable. Refugees, asylum seekers, some state supported failed asylum seekers and victims of modern slavery are all exempt from the Charging Regulations.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the NHS has been of people being sectioned in each of the last eight years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England reports on mental health expenditure overall, in the Five Year Forward View Mental Health Dashboard, which is available at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/publication/mental-health-five-year-forward-view-dashboard/ However, expenditure on detentions made under the Mental Health Act 1983 is not identified separately.

Cancer: Diagnosis

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the findings of the recent National Cancer Diagnosis Audit with respect to improving the process for diagnosing cancer in children and young people.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the findings of the recent National Cancer Diagnosis Audit with respect to improving the time taken to diagnose (a) lymphoma and (b) other haematological cancers.

Steve Brine: The National Cancer Diagnosis Audit (NCDA) provides useful insight into the process of diagnosis of cancer. This report has been shared with the relevant NHS England Clinical Reference Groups (CRG) and will influence the work of the CRGs in improving clinical pathways and services.No specific assessment has been made of the NCDA in relation to time taken to diagnose lymphoma and other haematological cancers or with respect to improving the process for diagnosing cancer in children and young people. However, it will be helpful in informing the current work on revising service specifications for children and young people.

Haematological Cancer: Medical Records

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps have been taken by his Department to ensure accurate and complete collection of cancer registry data for (a) lymphoma and (b) other haematological cancers.

Steve Brine: The National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) is part of Public Health England, and collects information on all people diagnosed with cancer in England. This includes all lymphomas and haematological cancers. NCRAS has a comprehensive system of data feedback to hospitals, enabling them to review the data they have submitted and make any corrections. This system is supported by a dedicated Data Liaison team, who visit hospital staff and work with clinical systems providers to help maintain high quality data submissions, while minimising burden on the system.

Gender Recognition: Health Services

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for NHS under-18s gender dysphoria clinics.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England has publicly acknowledged that the waiting time for under-18s accessing gender identity services is unacceptably long. NHS England increased funding for this service by around £2 million per year from 2016/17 but waiting times have continued to increase due mainly to an unprecedented increase in demand for these services in recent years, to an extent that there is not sufficient capacity in the current service. In 2018, NHS England established a Programme Board for Gender Identity Services. Its terms of reference state that the Board’s main objective is to make recommendations for the future delivery and configuration of specialised services for adults, young people and children, with a view to achieving the optimal models of care that are characterised by timely and equitable access to the range of available interventions; consistent delivery models and excellent care and excellent patient experience. The role of the Board is to coordinate ‘demand and capacity’ planning that will inform the future delivery of specialised services and resource allocation for adult services and young people’s services; and that will inform an approach to commissioning that seeks to ensure the sustainability of the national service. NHS England is currently working with the providers of the services, and other significant stakeholders, to develop proposals for the future commissioning and delivery of these services from 2019/20.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many sexual health clinics currently provide the HPV vaccine bisexual men; and what the timeframe is for the completion of the roll-out of the HPV vaccine programme to (a) gay and (b) bisexual men.

Steve Brine: The human papillomavirus vaccination programme for men that have sex with men is being introduced via a phased rollout. There are approximately 230 HIV and sexual health clinics nationally and around 75 of these are already offering the programme. NHS England anticipate that rollout will be complete by April 2019.

Carers: Young People

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 3.2 of the Carers Action Plan, what criteria will be used to determine best practice in the identification of young carers and access to support.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 23 of the Carers Action Plan 2018 - 2020, published by his Department in June 2018, when he plans to publish further details of the project announced at number 3.4 to increase the timely identification of particularly hidden young carers in Black, Asian and minority ethnic families.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education are working together to review best practice in the identification of young carers and their access to support. We will shortly be launching the tendering process to recruit an organisation to conduct the review, and the criteria will be determined as part of that process. We have committed to completing the review by Easter 2019.The review will include a specific focus on young carers from seldom heard groups and the information obtained from this work will be used to inform a further project, which is planned for 2019-20.

Cancer: Young People

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the findings and recommendations of CLIC Sargent’s report, Are we nearly there yet?, published in September 2018.

Steve Brine: I will consider the recommendations of this report carefully. As part of the Recovery Package, the holistic needs assessment and care plan includes a focus on financial concerns that patients may have. The holistic needs assessment questions can be adapted for teenagers and young people specifically. The Recovery Package also recognises the needs of parents/carers of children living with and beyond cancer such as their circumstances to ensure that the right support is in place. More generally, last year through our NHS Low Income Scheme, the Department helped over 337,000 applicants on a low income to pay for health costs, including the cost of travelling to receive National Health Service treatment.

Cancer: Young People

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the financial effect on young cancer patients and their families of the costs of travelling to and from hospital for treatment.

Steve Brine: NHS England has stated that there is work underway to review the service specifications for children and young people with cancer services. This will provide an opportunity to consider how some aspects of the patient pathway may be provided more locally to reduce the travel burden for patients and their families.Currently the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme which is part of the NHS Low Income Scheme allows for patients (and in certain circumstances their carers) to receive reimbursement of travel if they are in receipt of a qualifying benefit or on a low income. The NHS Low Income Scheme has helped 337,000 applicants to receive financial help with their National Health Service treatment.

Liothyronine

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on the publication of the final outcome of the investigation into Concordia and their pricing of Liothyronine (T3) medication.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will publish a timeline for when the Health Services Medical Supplies (Costs) Act 2017 will be implemented in England; and what progress has been made on that implementation.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of negotiating lower prices for Liothyronine (T3) medication to a level comparable to that of the EU market price using powers acquired from the Health Services Medical Supplies (Costs) Act 2017.

Steve Brine: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is an independent non-ministerial department. Whilse the Department provides input and evidence for CMA cases it is not involved in the investigation itself nor can it influence the outcome or timetable. The CMA has provisionally found that Concordia abused its dominant position to overcharge the National Health Service by millions for liothyronine and we are awaiting their final decision. A separate investigation by the Department would be a duplication of those efforts. Where companies have breached competition law, the Department will seek damages and invest that money back into the NHS. In this context it is worth noting that all United Kingdom marketing authorisation holders of liothyronine are obliged to ensure that the product complies with the minimum standard as specified in the updated British Pharmacopoeia monograph for liothyronine tablets. Liothyronine on the market in other European Union Member States may not comply with the updated British Pharmacopoeia monograph and therefore would not be considered therapeutically equivalent. The Health Services Medical Supplies (Costs) Act 2017 amended the NHS Act 2006 in a number of areas and gave the Secretary of State powers to:- Make a statutory scheme for branded medicines requiring companies to pay a percentage of their sales. The Branded Health Service Medicines (Costs) Regulations 2018 entered into force on 1 April 2018;- Make regulations to require the supply chain for health service products to provide information. The Health Service Products (Provision and Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2018 entered into force on 1 July 2018;- Reimburse community pharmacies differently or not at all for special medicinal products. We are developing proposals for this which will be subject to consultation with the relevant stakeholders; and- Limit the price of a medicine made or supplied by companies in the voluntary scheme, currently the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, when that medicines is not covered by that scheme. We are developing proposals for using those powers to address unwarranted prices of unbranded generic medicines which will be subject to consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable for a decision on the future of the national data opt out for the national cancer patient experience survey is.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The national data opt-out does not apply, in 2018/19, to the national cancer patient experience survey, which will continue to run under its current arrangements and operate a separate opt-out mechanism. Further work to consider and agree a long-term position on how the national data opt-out will relate to the cancer patient experience survey is being undertaken.

Obesity: Children

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the level of obesity in children in (a) 2009 and (b) 2017.

Steve Brine: No comparative assessment of the level of child obesity in 2009 and 2017 has been made. Data from the Health Survey for England 2016 indicate that 15.7% of children aged 2-15 were classified as obese using population monitoring thresholds in England in 2009. 16.0% of children aged 2-15 were classified as obese in 2016. Data for 2017 data are not yet available. 16.1% of boys aged 2-15 were classified as obese in 2009, and 15.3% of girls. In 2016 15.9% of boys aged 2-15 were classified as obese, and 16.1% of girls.

Ambulance Services: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the total value of outstanding funds owed to his Department by Ambulance Trusts.

Stephen Barclay: A loan balance of £29 million is currently owed to the Department by ambulance trusts. The loan funding was used to fund capital expenditure or short term working capital. The Department‎ publishes data annually on financial assistance, including loans, provided to all trusts and foundations trusts, including ambulance trusts. The report for 2017-18 ‘Financial Assistance under Section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006’ can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/725278/2017-18_Section_40_Report_Final.pdf

NHS: Nurses

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) nurse consultants, (b) modern matrons and (c) community matrons employed by the NHS in the (i) latest period for which figures are available and (ii) corresponding period in 2009-10.

Stephen Barclay: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers. The following table shows the full time equivalent (FTE) figures for nurse consultants, modern matrons and community matrons working in National Health Service trusts and CCGs as at May 2018 (the latest data available) and May 2010.  May 2010May 2018Nurse Consultant972985Modern Matron4,8254,085Community Matron1,511891Source: NHS Digital monthly HCHS workforce statistics. Over the same period, the number of all nurses and health visitors increased by 3,122 FTE and nurses on our wards increased by 12,527 FTEs.

Apprentices: Taxation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the total cost to the NHS of the introduction of the apprenticeship levy to date.

Stephen Barclay: The Apprenticeship Levy came into operation in April 2017. The Department estimates National Health Service employers contributed approximately £200 million in levy contributions in 2017/18, and will contribute an estimated £200 million in 2018/19.

NHS: Waiting Lists

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people on an NHS referral to treatment waiting list in the (a) latest period for which figures are available and (ii) corresponding period in 2009-10.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England publishes online monthly data for Consultant-led Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times which includes the volume of patients on the national elective waiting list. The data from March of each year from 2019-10 to 2017-18 is shown in the following table. MonthTotal waiting (million)  March 20102.42March 20112.46March 20122.41March 20132.66March 20142.91March 20153.01March 20163.50March 20173.73March 20183.84Source: NHS England The National Health Service is treating more people than ever before. In 2016/17, latest data available, the NHS carried out 11.9 million operations, 2.2 million more than in 2009/10. To guarantee the future of the NHS and to ensure it continues to deliver for patients the Government has announced a new five-year budget settlement for the NHS, which will see funding grow on average by 3.4% in real terms each year to 2023-24. This will mean the NHS budget will increase by over £20 billion in real terms by 2023-24, compared with today. This additional funding will underpin a 10 year plan to guarantee the future of the NHS for the long term.

Radiotherapy

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the performance of Clinical Commissioning Groups to improve access to advanced radiotherapy.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how NHS England monitors clinical commissionng groups' cancer treatment performance in respect of access to advanced radiotherapy; and what steps NHS England takes to address instances of poor performance.

Steve Brine: Clinical commissioning groups are not responsible for ensuring access to advanced radiotherapy techniques, such as Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT). The commissioning of all radiotherapy in England is the responsibility of NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning team. Access to IMRT is monitored against a national average access standard of 25%, performance against this standard is consistently around 45%. From April 2019, Radiotherapy Networks, working in close partnership with Specialised Commissioners and Cancer Alliances, will play a key role in increasing access to both advanced and innovative radiotherapy, as well as ensuring adherence to best practice treatment protocols.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the take-up rate for cervical screening  was in (a) the North West and (b) Wallasey constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Brine: The most recent quarterly data (quarter three) on coverage for women aged 25-49 years and 50- 64 years is from December 2017 and is calculated by clinical commissioning group (CCG) and general practice. This data is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-coverage-and-data It is reported that Wirral CCG, which covers Wallasey, obtained a coverage rate of 70.43% for women aged 25- 49 years (at a 3.5 year coverage) and 73.19% for women aged 50-64 years (at a 5.5 year coverage). Coverage data for the North West region is available in the following table. Data prior to 2015/16 are not available in the format requested. Age appropriate coverage for women aged 25-64 yearsEngland regions, 31 March 2016 and 2017 percentages age appropriate coverage(Less than 3.5 / 5.5 years since last adequate test)Region20162017North East75.274.7Yorkshire and the Humber75.474.9North West72.372.0East Midlands75.975.4West Midlands71.871.4East of England73.973.3London66.765.7South East74.373.5South West74.874.1 Source: NHS Digital: https://files.digital.nhs.uk/pdf/t/b/cervical_bulletin_report_2016-17_-_final.pdf

WHO Framework Convention On Tobacco Control

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who will be representing the UK at the eighth Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on tobacco control in October 2018.

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the UK's representation at the eighth conference of the parties to the World Health Organisation framework convention on tobacco control in October 2018.

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the strategic objectives of his departmental delegation will be at the eighth conference of the parties to the World Health Organisation framework convention on tobacco control in October 2018.

Steve Brine: The United Kingdom Government will be represented at the eighth Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on tobacco control (FCTC) by three officials from the Department and the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union. The delegation will be led by Tim Baxter, Deputy Director of Healthy Behaviours at the Department.A figure for the costs associated with attendance at the CoP is not yet available. Every effort has been made to keep costs to a minimum to ensure value for money.As a world leader in tobacco control the UK has been, and will continue to be, a highly active participant in the FCTC. The UK will participate in the CoP as a member state of the European Union. The UK will continue to support measures to reduce global harms from tobacco, building on its strong domestic record in reducing smoking, and will work to ensure that the work of the FCTC secretariat is both effective and provides value for money.

Tobacco

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made in tendering for the grant scheme relating to external stakeholder support for the tobacco control plan.

Steve Brine: The grant scheme to secure additional support to assist in the delivery of commitments made in the tobacco control plan was advertised in May and June 2018. Ten eligible organisations applied for this funding.The Department reviewed these applications as per Cabinet Office guidelines in July and finalised this in August. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in a partnership application with FRESH North East scored the highest. All applicants have been informed of the results and paperwork is currently being finalised in order to award the grant to ASH and FRESH North East.

Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: Hearing Aids

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will exempt people with Alzheimers and dementia from charges for the replacement of lost hearing aids.

Caroline Dinenage: National Health Service trusts can recover all or part of the cost of the replacement of a hearing aid where there is evidence of misuse or carelessness. Decisions on whether to charge patients, and whether exemptions are applied to such charging policies, are a matter for individual trusts.

Radiotherapy

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of levels of funding on the ability of the NHS to increase access to radiotherapy.

Steve Brine: Since 2016, the Radiotherapy Modernisation programme has seen £130 million of new funding invested in improving radiotherapy equipment. As a result, the National Health Service has so far received 73 new or upgraded linear accelerators, enabling the delivery of advanced treatment techniques and faster treatment times. From April 2019, NHS England will be establishing 11 Radiotherapy Networks to build on this investment and lead the development of services at a local level. This will include ensuring that every patient benefits from best clinical practice and has access to innovative and advanced treatments and techniques.

General Practitioners: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of GPs experiencing mental health illness in each of the last six years.

Steve Brine: No formal annual assessment of the trends in the numbers of general practitioners (GPs) experiencing mental health illness in each of the last six years has been made.In January 2017, NHS England launched the GP Health Service in recognition of GPs reporting they were experiencing stress and mental illness.The NHS GP Health Service is a nationwide, free confidential NHS service for GPs and GP trainees in England. The service can help doctors with issues relating to a mental health concern, including stress or depression, or an addiction problem, particularly where these might affect work.Since its launch, over 1,500 GPs have accessed the service, with users consisting of a mixture of some existing patients from the London practitioner health programme and new users.A 2018 survey of users of the service found that (of those that responded):- 78% of GPs stated the service had a positive impact on their ability to work or train; and- 93% of GPs are likely to recommend the service.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are any plans to increase the level of available training for NHS staff on Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Steve Brine: The standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC) and the training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the relevant medical Royal College, and has to meet the standards set by the GMC. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they instead emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.

Pharmacy: Finance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was allocated to community pharmacies through the Pharmacy Access Scheme in 2017-18 by local authority area.

Steve Brine: The Department does not hold this information.

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the amount of time pharmacists in the community spend on providing direct clinical services excluding the dispensing of medicines.

Steve Brine: The Department has not made an assessment.All pharmacies undertaking National Health Service pharmaceutical services are required to provide essential services, which include services in addition to dispensing medicines, such as self-care advice and supporting healthy lifestyles. They may also provide advanced services such as the new medicine service and seasonal flu vaccination. The time community pharmacies in practice spend on these individual services will vary between pharmacies and has not been assessed by the Department.

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the projected costs are for the Pharmacy Access Scheme in each quarter up to March 2019.

Steve Brine: From 1 April this year interim arrangements for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework were agreed with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee. These run until 31 March 2019. Under these arrangements Pharmacy Access Scheme payments remain the same as they were in 2017/18 at approximately £6.2 million per quarter.

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total number of (a) internet and (b) high street community pharmacies has been in each year since 2007-08 in (i) total and (ii) each local authority area.

Steve Brine: This information is not available in the format requested. The attached document contains information on "bricks and mortar" pharmacies, which encompasses all community pharmacies which can provide essential National Health Service pharmaceutical services face-to-face at their physical location; and distance selling pharmacies that provide essential NHS pharmaceutical services online or over the phone. Figures are only available by region rather than local authority.



PQ171451 pharmacies
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Dental Health: Surveys

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated for the delivery of the next Adult Dental Health Survey.

Steve Brine: No decisions have been taken yet on the timing of the next Adult and Child Dental Health Survey, decisions on funding would be taken as part of this process.

NHS Blood and Transplant

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many complaints the NHS blood and transplant unit received in the last 12 months on not being able to give blood as a result of (a) a lack of appointment slots and (b) the cancellation of of a session.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is a Special Health Authority. Its remit includes the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood and associated services to the NHS in England. NHSBT collects around 1.5 million blood donations every year to make sure hospitals have the blood they need to treat patients.Between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018, NHSBT received 1,136 complaints about the lack of appointment slots and 800 complaints about the cancellation of a session.Blood used by hospitals is declining by 3-4% a year and this means that NHSBT have had to consider reducing the number of blood donation sessions they run.NHSBT prioritise donors to reflect demand for particular blood groups. This may mean that some existing and new donors may not always be able to get appointment as easily.There are various reasons why a session may be cancelled, for example due to adverse weather or where NHSBT have decided not to continue to use a particular venue.

Department of Health and Social Care: Living Wage

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of Monday 16 July 2018 to Question 162604 on Department of Health & Social Care: Living Wage, what the lowest hourly wage was paid to staff and agency workers in his Department's offices in (a) London and (b) the UK.

Caroline Dinenage: For the financial year 2017/18, the lowest hourly rate paid to staff employed in the Department’s offices in London and the United Kingdom was: Inner London £11.61Outer London £10.64National: £9.41 This compares to the following current hourly Living Wage Foundation rates of: London Living wage £10.20UK Living Wage £8.75 For short term temporary staff, previously engaged via Brook Street Employment Agency the lowest hourly rate paid in the period in question was: Inner London £9.93National £9.62

Diabetes: Surgery

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many under 18 year olds had an operation for an amputation as a result of diabetes in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: There were no under 18 year olds that had an amputation due to diabetes in the last five years.

Health Services: Children

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans Public Health England has have to improve the (a) commissioning guidance  and (b) support for the speech, language and communication elements in the Healthy Child Programme.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Healthy Child Programme (HCP) 0-19 commissioning guidance was refreshed and published in March 2018. To address the “word gap” between children from the wealthiest and poorest families, and to support the speech, language and communication elements of the HCP, Public Health England has formed a partnership with the Department for Education to deliver a programme of work which will include:- Training for health visitors on speech, language and communication needs;- The introduction of an early language assessment tool to support clinical decision-making; and- The development of a model speech language and communication pathway for services for children zero to five years built on the best evidence and experience of implementation in practice.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the total cost to the public purse of  his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Mims Davies: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf. Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on 13 March.https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/

Wales Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

Mims Davies: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor also set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU Exit preparations in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Wales Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.

Mims Davies: This information is not available as we do not account for costs in this way. The total expenditure on staff and staff numbers are disclosed in the Departmental Annual Report and Accounts.

Wales Office: Peers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many members of the House of Lords hold (a) paid and (b) unpaid roles within (i) his Department and (ii) his Department's agencies.

Mims Davies: The Department’s Ministerial team includes one member of the House of Lords, who holds an unpaid position. The Department has no agencies.

Ports: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussion he has had with the Welsh Government on contingency planning for traffic controls at (a) Holyhead and(b)  Pembroke Docks in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Alun Cairns: UK Government Officials (including officials from my department) continue to meet with officials from the Welsh Government to discuss the implications of EU Exit on Welsh Ports.

Fishing Catches: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of Welsh fish catch that is landed from Irish waters.

Alun Cairns: Due to the spatial apportioning methods used and the relatively small spatial areas involved, the methodological uncertainty is high. Therefore the MMO can provide figures that are best estimates. In this case ‘waters’ means territorial waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone. On average between 2012 and 2016, Welsh-registered vessels landed approximately 5% (1,000 tonnes) of their total live weight and approximately 10% (£2 million) of their total landed value of fish from Irish waters.

Department for Education

Schools: Racial Discrimination

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures have been put in place for schools to deal with racist incidents.

Nick Gibb: Racism has no place in our schools and any incident is unacceptable.In July 2017 the Department updated its anti-bullying guidance. This guidance makes it clear that where a school thinks an incident might constitute an offence, they should seek assistance from the police. All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which sets expectations of behaviour and outlines measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including racist bullying. Schools have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies appropriate to their environment but are held to account by Ofsted. The anti-bullying guidance refers schools to sources of support on preventing and tackling bullying based on race, religion and nationality.This guidance can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.The Department funds and supports anti-bullying organisations that help schools prevent and tackle bullying. This includes the Free to Be project led by the Anne Frank Trust, which provides a structured approach for young people to discuss the importance of tackling prejudice, discrimination and bullying.

Schools: Nisai Group

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure that schools are adequately funded to deliver the Nisai learning programme.

Nadhim Zahawi: It is for schools and local authorities (for children in alternative provision or with education, health and care plans) to decide what support will best meet the needs of pupils, taking account of their individual needs. We have provided an additional £140 million in high needs funding in 2018-19 and will provide an additional £120 million in 2019-20. Previously underfunded local authorities will see increases in 2019-20 of up to 6% compared to what they planned to spend in 2017-18. In Cheshire East, the local authority will receive £34.1 million in high needs funding in 2018-19, 2% more than in 2017-18. Figures for each local authority can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019. We are also monitoring the impact of our national funding formula for high needs on local authority spending decisions, and are keeping the overall amount of funding for high needs under review.

Children: Disadvantaged

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support existing programmes aimed at helping to ensure that the views of disadvantaged children in (a) London and (b) other parts of England are taken into consideration by decision-making organisations.

Nadhim Zahawi: My department is committed to hearing the views of service users, which includes disadvantaged children.Recently, we have developed a number of ways for young people to be involved in shaping the Opportunity Areas programme.In Norwich, for example, a youth board challenges the programme strategy. The youth board has also developed interventions for the area. It is hosting a celebration event in September to ‎share their experiences of living in Norwich and to discuss what social mobility means to them.We also fund a number of research projects, in London and elsewhere, that involve disadvantaged children. These include our pilots on free holiday activities and meals for disadvantaged families.

Social Media: Education

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to educate young people about the potential dangers of social media outside of formal education.

Nick Gibb: The Department wants to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe. There is a focus on ensuring the curriculum provides children and young people with knowledge on internet safety. The computing curriculum ensures that pupils are responsible and competent users of information and communication technology. This autumn, the National Centre of Computing Education will be launched, which will support the teaching of computing. The Department is also making Relationships Education compulsory in all primary schools, Relationships and Sex Education compulsory in all secondary schools and Health Education compulsory in all state-funded schools.The Department is currently consulting on the draft regulations that will make the subjects compulsory, as well as the accompanying guidance: https://consult.education.gov.uk/pshe/relationships-education-rse-health-education/. The draft guidance sets out that teaching about internet safety, including the benefits and risks of social media, should be integrated into these subjects. The draft guidance also provides examples of resources from reputable organisations that can be used by schools and any other organisation working with children and young people. For example, the UK Council for Child Internet Safety recently published “The Education for a Connected World framework” which describes the digital knowledge and skills that children and young people should have the opportunity to develop at different ages and stages of their lives. The framework is designed to support schools, colleges, parents and children’s organisations.More information on the framework can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/683895/Education_for_a_connected_world_PDF.PDF.

Slavery: Victims

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on the eligibility of survivors of modern slavery for publicly-funded education; what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the application of the Immigration Rules to institutions which provide education for survivors of modern slavery; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: Under international law, all children have the right to an education. Children and young people who are the survivors of modern slavery will normally be in local authority care while their immigration status is under consideration.Such ‘looked-after children’ must be given highest priority for admission to English state-funded schools and young people in this situation are eligible for funding for 16-19 education or training in England.To meet the eligibility requirements for student support for higher education in England, a student should normally be resident in England, have ‘settled’ status or a recognised connection with the UK and have been a resident of the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) for the three years prior at the start of the course. Exceptions are made for students who have been granted refugee status following a successful asylum claim, including the proportion of that group who have been confirmed as victims of modern slavery.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State regularly meets Cabinet colleagues to discuss a variety of issues.

Department for Education: Domestic Visits

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which ministerial visits he and Ministers of his Department have undertaken by region since his appointment.

Anne Milton: The number of visits completed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and ministers of the department since the Secretary of State’s appointment, broken down by region, is shown in the table attached.



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Pre-school Education: Teachers

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the Government has removed its target of increasing the number of early years teachers; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of removing that target on the educational achievements of disadvantaged children.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department has never had a target for recruiting early years teachers. The Early Years Initial Teacher Training Programme has always been a demand-led programme.

GCE A-level

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the ethnic background of pupils who achieved (a) AAA, (b) AAB and ABB grades at A-level in the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The number of students, at the end of 16-18 study, achieving A*-B grades in A levels, split by ethnic background, is provided in the attached table. 



169551_Number_of_students_achieving_A_B_by_ethnic_
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GCE A-level

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of pupils (a) entitled to and (b) not entitled to free school meals who achieved (i) AAA, (ii) AAB and (iii) ABB grades at A-level in the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pupils: Enfield Southgate

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of (a) children and (b) children eligible for free school meals attained a Good Level of Development at age five in Enfield, Southgate constituency in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The requested data is shown in Annex A, which is attached.



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Disabled Students' Allowances

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is his policy that students be able to choose the supplier for their Disabled Students Allowances.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Students applying for Disabled Students’ Allowances have their needs independently assessed and potential suppliers for any support required are chosen by the needs assessor. In general, the needs assessor must provide the Student Loans Company (SLC) with at least two quotes from DSAs registered suppliers. The final decision on the supplier is taken by SLC. Students awarded a computer under DSAs can elect to purchase their computer through a high street retailer, and students who receive non-medical support prior to commencing their course can choose to continue receiving support from the same supplier if that supplier is registered to provide DSAs support.

Disabled Students' Allowances: Audit

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Non-Medical Suppliers were not audited by the Disabled Students Allowances Quality Assurance Group as a result of the supplier reporting that it did not have any students in the last year.

Mr Sam Gyimah: In 2017, the Disabled Students Allowances Quality Assurance Group reported that there were 298 non-medical suppliers, which were not audited due to the providers indicating that they were not supporting students.

Disabled Students' Allowances: Audit

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will made an assessment of the accuracy of the opening hours published on the Disabled Students Allowances Quality Assurance Group database; whether restrictions are placed on the hours which may be so published; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: All Non-Medical Help providers, who are listed on the Disabled Students Allowances Quality Assurance Group database, are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their opening hours. There are no restrictions on business opening hours. Where evening and/or weekends are offered, it is the responsibility of each provider to share this information directly with the student when booking their appointment or publishing on the provider’s own website if they have one.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role his Department plays in resolving disagreements between a student in receipt of disability support allowance and a non-medical supplier in the event that the student requests a change of supplier.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Students are able to request a change of supplier from the Student Loans Company (SLC) through a standard procedure, provided they have first tried to access support from the recommended provider and found it unsuitable. Students who receive non-medical support prior to commencing their course can choose to continue receiving support from the same supplier if that supplier is registered with the Disabled Students Quality Assurance Group to provide support through Disabled Students' Allowances. Students in dispute with the SLC over their support provider have access to the SLC’s complaints and appeals processes.

Design and Technology: Education

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the level of availability of courses in design and technology in schools.

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) financial support and (b) training his Department is providing to design and technology teachers in relation to the new GCSE D&T (9-1) qualification.

Nick Gibb: The majority of state funded state secondary schools offered GCSE courses in design and technology in 2017. In 2016/17, 2,922 state funded secondary schools (85% of all state funded secondary schools) had one or more pupils taking a Design and Technology (D&T) GCSE. Data for 2018 will not be available until October 2018. The Department does not provide financial support or training to existing D&T teachers in relation to the new GCSE. Training is available, however, from the GCSE awarding bodies, and from other organisations such as the Design and Technology Association. The Government continues to support D&T teacher recruitment through bursaries of up to £12,000.

Care Leavers

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report, Keep on Caring published by the Government in July 2016, when his Department plans to undertake a review the implementation of the policy of staying put.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department keeps the Staying Put policy under constant review by monitoring data from local authorities showing take-up amongst young people, engagement with the sector and looking at information from Ofsted inspections of local authorities. Staying Put was also considered as part of the independent fostering review undertaken by Sir Martin Narey and Mark Owers, published in February 2018.Staying Put has been welcomed by care leavers and the sector. It is recognised by them as a positive initiative and has helped thousands of care leavers to transition more smoothly from care to independence, providing continuity of relationships and care arrangements. The department will continue to gather information from the national rollout of Staying Put and in light of this, refine policy as required.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children eligible for free school meals attained adequate levels of school readiness in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) Wirral, (c) the Liverpool City Region, and (d) England.

Nadhim Zahawi: The requested data is provided in Annex A, which is attached. For completeness, figures have been provided for the two key Early Years Foundation Stage Profile indicators. These are the number of children achieving a Good Level of Development, which is the measure more widely used to assess school readiness, and the number of children achieving at least the expected level in all 17 Early Learning Goals.  



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Mathematics: Education

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will amend the eligibility criteria to lead a basic maths Centre for Excellence so that it is based on the total number of students with low prior attainment in maths rather than the number of students contained in the 2017 maths progress measure.

Anne Milton: There are no plans to amend the eligibility criteria for the basic maths Centres for Excellence programme. The Centres for Excellence programme will build on the success of the Maths Hubs model in schools, adapting it to improve the quality of teaching post-16. The eligibility criteria is for institutions to have a minimum of 250 maths students with prior attainment below a grade 4 included in the maths progress measure. This will make sure institutions have a substantial number of students at the end of their 16-19 study programme who have directly benefited from the programme as they work towards achieving a GCSE standard pass in maths. We view this as an important criterion as we trial teaching approaches and evaluate their impact on the quality of teaching and learning over the length of the study programme to inform a wider rollout. We have allowed and have actively encouraged institutions to partner up to be Centres for Excellence through consortium bids. This will also serve to encourage improved networking between a mix of institutions and institution types with a shared goal of improving maths teaching and attainment.

Primary Education: Mental Health Services

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to mental health services in primary schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government’s Green Paper on Children and Young People’s Mental Health sets out an ambitious set of proposals to fill the gap in support for children and young people’s mental health supported by £300 million of funding.Under these proposals the Government will incentivise and support all schools, including primary schools, to identify and train a Designated Senior Lead for Mental Health – funding new training to help leads put in place a whole school approach to mental health.The Government is also funding new Mental Health Support Teams working in or near schools to provide earlier access to a wider range of support and treatments and help reduce mental health problems worsening or developing in the first place, so that appropriate and timely referrals are made to NHS services where necessary. A process is underway to identify the first areas of the country to set up and test these new teams. A new four-week waiting time for NHS specialist children and young people’s mental health services will also be piloted so that specialist help is available sooner.These proposals build on the experience of the pilot of school links to NHS mental health services, which has already helped around 1,000 schools build better links to specialist services and will be rolled out nationally.

Apprentices: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more SMEs to take on apprentices in Nottinghamshire.

Anne Milton: There are a number of measures in place to support smaller employers and encourage them to offer apprenticeships. For the smallest employers with fewer than 50 employees, the government pays 100 per cent of the cost of training for apprentices who are either 16 to 18 years old, 19 to 24 year old care leavers or 19 to 24 year olds with an Education, Health and Care Plan. In response to employer feedback, we have introduced transfers. This enables apprenticeship levy-paying employers to transfer funds to as many employers as they choose, including small and medium sized employers (SMEs), within their 10 per cent maximum allowance. This supports smaller employers to access apprenticeships and encourages them to obtain high quality training. The National Apprenticeship Service national business helpline supports SMEs in Nottinghamshire, and throughout England, providing information about apprenticeships. The latest phase of our nationwide employer engagement marketing campaign is now live and is targeted at SMEs, with radio advertisements featuring companies who have benefitted from apprenticeships and signposting listeners to our website to learn more about hiring an apprentice.

Care Leavers: Students

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) care leavers and (b) estranged students at university.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the (a) financial circumstances and (b) emotional well-being of (i) care leavers and (ii) estranged students at university.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As autonomous and independent organisations, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) determine what welfare services they need to provide to their students. Each institution will be best placed to identify the needs of their particular student body. The government is concerned to ensure that the particular needs of care leavers and estranged students are addressed by HEIs. Guidance to the Office for Students (OfS), on completing 2019/20 access and participation plans, specifically identifies care leavers as a key target group whose needs HEIs should address. This is reflected in the OfS’ own guidance to the sector. The OfS is also encouraging HEIs to formalise and publicise the support they provide care leavers by becoming signatories of the Care Leavers’ Covenant, and backing that up with the practical help care leavers need to succeeed in their studies. Many HEI student services teams are experienced in responding to the emotional and financial needs of care leavers and estranged students, and have a named staff member (such as Care Leaver Coordinator) whose role has been specifically created to support such students. Student Support Regulations provide that care leavers and estranged students are treated as independent students in the household income assessment for undergraduate living costs support. Many HEIs also offer additional advice to care leavers and estranged students on financing options, scholarships and bursaries, and, in some cases, a guarantee of 52 weeks a year accommodation for the duration of their course.

Social Services: Children

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what process is in place to enable local authorities to adopt the best practice from the Children's Social Care Innovation Programme.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding the Government plans to provide local authorities not involved in waves one or two of the Children's Social Care Innovation Programme to enable them to adopt successful practice from that programme over the next five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: There is a comprehensive programme in place to share the learning from the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme and to enable local authorities, including those not directly involved in the programme, to adopt and adapt the most successful innovations. This includes funding for successful projects from the first rounds of the programme to scale and spread into new areas and funding for some of the best local authorities (the Partners in Practice) to support other improving local authorities to adopt and adapt successful projects.In addition, there is an ongoing programme of local, regional and national events, workshops and seminars, attended to date by over 1200 people. There is a growing package of toolkits, case studies and learning guides available through the Innovation Programme website to help authorities understand and mobilise innovations.The learning and evidence from the Innovation programme is also informing the new What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care, which will build a library of high quality evidence in children’s social care and ensure that it is widely used.

Social Mobility Commission: Finance

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the planned budget for 2018-19 is for the Social Mobility Commission.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Social Mobility Commission’s current budget for 2018 to 2019 is £548,000. The department is planning to increase this and the precise figure will be agreed once new Commissioners are in place and the board has a proposed work plan.

Social Mobility

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve social mobility.

Nadhim Zahawi: In December 2017 the department published the report ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’, which is our plan for improving social mobility through education.The plan set out five ambitions which cover the key life stages of people’s education, around which my department’s objectives are also structured. These include ensuring that no community is left behind, with all children able to flourish in a safe and stable environment, and closing the ‘word gap’ in early years. They also include closing the attainment gap in school while continuing to raise standards for all, ensuring there are high-quality post-16 choices for all young people and supporting everyone to achieve their potential in rewarding careers.In the summer, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State announced plans to host a summit with the BBC, the National Literacy Trust, Public Health England and other major businesses to tackle children’s language and literacy in order to boost social mobility in the early years.We have also recently confirmed Dame Martina Milburn as Chair of the Social Mobility Commission and have started the recruitment process for new Commissioners.

Pupils: Hearing Impairment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all deaf children get access to the specialist support they need at school.

Nadhim Zahawi: We want all children and young people, no matter what their special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), to be able to reach their full potential and receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. That is why, since 2014, we have supported the implementation of significant reforms, putting children, young people and their families at the heart of the system, and focusing on outcomes and transition to adult life. To support the reforms, we provided £900,000 funding to the National Sensory Impairment Partnership between 2016 and 2018 to equip the school workforce to deliver high quality teaching for pupils with sensory impairments. We have announced new contracts worth £23.8 million to help provide children who have SEND, including those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, with access to excellent support. New SEND regional leads are bringing together practitioners and networks in their local area to help identify and address SEND school improvement priorities and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise.

Schools: Greater London

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for (a) secondary schools and (b) primary schools in (i) Lewisham Deptford constituency, (ii) London Borough of Lewisham and (iii) London.

Nick Gibb: The table below shows funding per pupil and percentage gains in total funding allocated through the national funding formula (NFF) for 2019-20 for primary and secondary schools in London, the London Borough of Lewisham, the Lewisham, Deptford constituency and England. The calculations in the table do not include any additional funding for pupil growth, which will be calculated later this year. Funding per pupil and percentage gains in total funding allocated through the national funding formula[1] RegionPrimary[2]Secondary[3] £ per pupil in 2019-10% change compared£ per pupil in 2019-10% change compared to 2017-18 baselinesto 2017-18 baselinesLewisham, Deptford£5,2761.00%£6,7431.40%Lewisham£5,1460.80%£6,8280.80%London[4]£4,7891.70%£6,2412.60%England£4,1662.70%£5,3593.30% The NFF allocates at least 1% more in pupil-led funding for every pupil in 2019-20, compared to 2017-18 baselines. The table shows changes in total funding, including both pupil-led and school-led funding. In some areas, including Lewisham, total funding will grow slightly less than the minimum 1% increase in pupil-led funding when combined with the school-led funding element in the National Funding Formula. London remains the highest funded area in the country. As at March 2018, 87 per cent of schools in London are now rated as good or outstanding. Nationally, there are 1.9 million more pupils now taught in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, representing 86 per cent of pupils compared to 66% in 2010. In 2019-20, Lewisham has the 12th highest primary unit of funding nationally, and the 11th highest secondary unit of funding of all local authorities.  [1] The calculations in the table do not include any additional funding for pupil growth, which will be calculated later this year.[2] * Primary funding includes funding for primary and middle-deemed primary schools.[3] Secondary funding includes funding for secondary, middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools.[4] This includes funding for schools in Inner and Outer London.

Department for Education: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total cost to the public purse for his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Education: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

Anne Milton: At Autumn Budget 2017, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU exit preparations in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Care Leavers: Finance

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of funding for the staying put policy.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department engages regularly with the sector on policy for care leavers, including on Staying Put and funding for the scheme.The strategy for care leavers, ‘Keep on Caring’, was published in July 2016. It confirmed that new burdens funding would continue to be paid to local authorities through to the end of this Parliament, using the amount allocated in the period 2016 to 2017 of £22.2 million as the baseline, up-rated each year by 2% to take account of inflation.In the period 2017 to 2018, a further £22.85m was provided. This increased to £23.3 million in the period 2018 to 2019. This will increase again to £23.77 million in the period 2019 to 2020. Funding beyond March 2020 will be subject to the outcome of future Spending Reviews.

Students: Disability Aids

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to make assisted technology more affordable and accessible for disabled students.

Nadhim Zahawi: We recognise that there is increasing pressure on high needs budgets, and funding is rising to meet this. High needs funding has risen from £5 billion in 2013 to £6 billion this year, the highest level on record. In 2018-19, Dudley will receive £30.5 million in high needs funding. A full list of allocations is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019.We are working with the British Educational Suppliers Association on a ‘lending library’ designed to support schools to make decisions about technology. Once live, the library will have an area focussed on assistive technologies.

Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government still has a target of three million apprentices by 2020.

Anne Milton: In 2015 we set an ambitious goal of three million apprenticeship starts by 2020, and that remains our ambition.Whilst we want to see an increased number of apprenticeships starts we will not sacrifice quality for quantity. It is important that all apprenticeships are of the highest quality - delivering the skills valued by employers that will increase productivity and help stimulate growth.

Apprentices: Finance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money the Government has invested in apprenticeships so far; and how much money the Government plans to have invested in apprenticeship by 2020.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the government still plans to invest £2.5 billion in apprenticeships by 2020.

Anne Milton: The table below sets out participation spending for the apprenticeship programme for the period 2012-2018, the only years for which comparable figures are available. This is the sum spent by providers of training on delivery, and does not include other costs of the programme: Financial Year2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18Total spend £(millions)1,4611,4591,5511,5401,6321,559 The total budget for the apprenticeship programme in 2019-20 is £2.45 billion.

Schools: Lighting

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to ensure that schools have the resources to adjust to planned stage lighting regulations arising from the EU Ecodesign Directive.

Nick Gibb: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has not specifically discussed the proposed EU Ecodesign Directive with my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Officials from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy have discussed the issue with the EU as part of its consultation process and have subsequently made representations to the European Commission (EC). Industry representatives have also engaged with the EC and submitted a proposed exemption for their consideration. Since then, the EC has shared the most recent draft of the regulation which includes a technical exemption for stage lighting. A final decision on the draft regulation is likely to be made towards the end of this year and is not expected to come into force until September 2020. The Government will continue to engage with industry, other Member States and the EC in the meantime. The Department will keep this under review to assess whether there will be any impact on schools in England and if any advice or further action is required. Schools, and those responsible for maintaining school buildings, receive annual capital funding to invest in their buildings, including complying with relevant legislation. The Department already specifies energy efficient LED lighting for theatre lighting installations in new school buildings that are funded through its central capital programmes.

Schools: Inspections

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to ensure that the revised 2019 Ofsted inspection framework includes a requirement to evaluate the teaching and monitoring of spoken language; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Ofsted: Training

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to ensure that when Ofsted updates its inspector training it focuses on how to evaluate (a) work on (i) speech, language and communication needs and (ii) their links with learning and social and emotional development and (b) the effectiveness with which schools assess and monitor progress in spoken language.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Special Educational Needs: Speech and Language Disorders

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to ensure schools set out in their SEN reports the interventions they carry out in relation to spoken language.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information required in schools’ Special Educational Needs (SEN) Information Reports is set out in regulations. It must include, amongst other things:the kinds of SEN that are provided for;policies for identifying children and young people with SEN and assessing their needs, including the name and contact details of the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, (mainstream schools); andarrangements for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes. This should include the opportunities available to work with parents and young people as part of this assessment and review.There is no requirement to set out in the Information Report the interventions that are carried out in relation to any specific area of need. However, in practice schools often do refer to the four broad areas of SEN, one of which is communication and interaction.The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak is vital in many ways. Whilst we recognise the importance of support in schools for spoken language which underpins the development of reading and writing, early support for language development is also important. The department is working with Public Health England and the Department for Health and Social Care to improve early language outcomes for disadvantaged children. We are also in regular contact with key speech language and communication organisations.

Teachers: Training

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has ensure that the core structured early career content framework for newly qualified teachers includes knowledge and understanding of how to support speech, language and communication.

Nadhim Zahawi: In May 2018, the Department for Education set out a range of proposals to ensure that all teachers - from those beginning their induction period to more experienced teachers - have greater access to high-quality support, expertise and professional development. The early career framework, which will give all new teachers access to an enhanced offer of support at the beginning of their career and schools greater guidance, forms just one part of these commitments. The department is working in collaboration with a small expert group and in consultation with wider experts and stakeholders to establish the framework content. This engagement includes a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) focus group. We are clear that wide sector engagement is critical to ensuring that the framework offers early career teachers access to greater support from the beginning of their career and that this support will have a positive impact on all pupils, regardless of school phase, setting, size and geography. The SEND focus group are meeting regularly with the department to ensure that all pupils – including those with SEND and other vulnerable groups – benefit from the enhanced Continuing Professional Development offer of teachers.

Schools: Finance

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including additional educational needs funding in the base budget for schools as part of the new funding formula.

Nick Gibb: Core schools funding is increasing to £43.5 billion by 2020, and within that total the high needs budget is £6 billion this year, the highest on record. All the evidence shows that pupils from deprived families, those with low prior attainment, those who do not speak English as a first language, and those who start school part-way through the year are most likely to fall behind their peers. The national funding formula protects the £5.9 billion of funding directed towards pupils with additional needs, to help them catch up. This funding is provided to schools through their base budgets. In addition to the schools formula, the pupil premium will provide schools with over £2.4 billion to improve the support provided to children who have been in receipt of free school meals in the last 6 years. Beyond this, the national funding formula for high needs provides funding for local authorities to direct to the most vulnerable children and young people. In 2018-19, the high needs national funding formula totalled £6 billion; £140 million more than in 2017-18.

Apprentices

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress the Government has made on plans to create three million apprenticeships by 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: There have been 1.4 million apprenticeship starts since May 2015. Whilst we do want to see an increasing number of apprenticeship starts, we will not sacrifice quality for quantity. We continue to work closely with employers to help them take advantage of the changes to grow their apprenticeship programmes, and to meet our target.The government is moving away from old apprenticeship frameworks, which employers said were often not suitably equipping apprentices for the job, towards new and higher quality apprenticeship standards with a longer average duration, designed by employers themselves. Compared to this time last year, the expected average number of training hours per apprenticeship has increased by over 20 per cent - from 540 hours to 670.Starts on apprenticeships standards continue to grow; latest data on apprenticeships in England show there have been 119,500 starts on standards in the first three quarters of the 2017/18 academic year; more than 10 times higher than the 11,000 reported at this time last year (2016/17). This represents just over 40 per cent of all starts reported in the 2017/18 academic year, compared to 2.5 per cent in 2016/17.In May 2018 we published an update on the progress of apprenticeships reforms, including progress towards the apprenticeships target in England. This can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707896/Progress_report_on_the_Apprenticeships_Reform_Programme_May_2018.pdf.

Pupil Referral Units

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evaluations of individual PRU referrals are made upon transfer request; and how many such referrals have been denied in the last two years.

Nick Gibb: Statutory guidance in place for Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) referrals is set out in Alternative Provision (AP) Statutory guidance for local authorities.This states: “Schools and local authorities, working in consultation with PRU management committees and the governing bodies of alternative provision Academies and AP Free Schools, should set an overall policy for referrals or admission to alternative provision. There should be clear criteria for referring and admitting pupils, including those who are dual registered. Pupils should be dual registered from the beginning of the first day of which the school has commissioned the alternative provision”.The guidance can be viewed here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268940/alternative_provision_statutory_guidance_pdf_version.pdf.The Department does not hold information on individual referrals to alternative provision, including via PRUs, or cases where referrals have been denied. However, a qualitative and quantitative research programme has been launched into AP practices across England, including referrals to AP. The final reports will be published in autumn 2018 and the findings will be used to inform future work strands on AP reform. One of the routes to AP is through exclusions. The Government has launched an externally led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review will consider how schools use exclusion and how this impacts on all pupils, but particularly why some groups of children are more likely to be excluded from school. The review will aim to report by the end of the year.

Arts: Education

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students from (a) Lewisham Deptford constituency, (b) London and (c) England are undertaking a creative arts subject in school; and how those numbers have changed in the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: The number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 who have entered at least one arts GCSE, since 2009/10 in England, London and Lewisham Deptford constituency can be found in the attached table: 



169586_Number_of_pupils_KS4_at_least_one_arts_GCSE
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Arts: GCSE

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the exclusion of arts subjects from the English Baccalaureate on the uptake of those subjects.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect on the (a) provision and (b) uptake of creative arts subjects among pupils of recent changes in the level of (i) school funding and (ii) teacher retention.

Nick Gibb: An analysis, published in July 2017, of the trends in arts uptake in state-funded mainstream schools where EBacc entry had seen a large increase since 2010/11 showed little correlation between the change in EBacc entry and the change in arts uptake. The small correlation that exists suggested that schools where EBacc entry had increased tended to have also seen an increase in their arts uptake. The 297 schools that had increased their EBacc entry rates by 40 percentage points or more between 2011 and 2016, on average entered 48.6% of their pupils for at least one arts subject. This was almost the same as for other state-funded schools (48.9%). This analysis can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/trends-in-arts-subjects-in-schools-with-increased-ebacc-entryThe proportion of pupils taking at least one arts GCSE subject has stayed relatively stable since 2010; and between 2010 and 2017 the proportion of hours spent teaching the arts in secondary schools has also remained broadly stable.

Carers: Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is he taking to improve information sharing with the Department for Health and Social care to safeguard vulnerable children including young carers as part of the Carers Action Plan.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Carers Action Plan referred to the Department for Education’s work to improve information sharing between child safeguarding agencies. The recent government consultation response ‘Reporting and acting on child abuse’, which was published in March 2018, set out our priorities in this area. The response can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reporting-and-acting-on-child-abuse-and-neglect.The government is committed to supporting and helping young carers by changing the law to improve how young carers and their families are identified, assessed and supported by making young carers’ rights clearer. The government has also supported schools to identify and support young carers through guidance, toolkits and sharing best practice.

Pupils: Parents

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of parental aspiration on children's progress in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department has recently completed an analysis of Key Stage 4 attainment and progress, exploring the relationship of pupils’ personal and family background, including an assessment of parental aspirations and their children’s progress between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4. The analysis draws on data collected through the second Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, which has followed the development of a cohort of young people from Year 9 to the end of Key Stage 4 and beyond. The results of this analysis will be published in October 2018.

Class Sizes

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of over-capacity in (a) classrooms and (b) school buildings on children's academic progress in schools.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not held centrally. The latest data[1] shows there are fewer pupils in excess of their school capacity when compared with 2010; reducing from more than 97,000 in May 2010 to 54,000 in May 2017.  [1] The annual school capacity survey 2017, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-capacity-academic-year-2016-to-2017.

Sixth Form Education: Finance

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial support for sixth form students.

Anne Milton: The department keeps under review the use of the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund to inform our understanding of whether this is effectively supporting our most economically disadvantaged students. A number of other financial support schemes are available to eligible 16 to 19 year olds such as support for free meals in further education, childcare costs if needed and residential support. Together these are supporting young people to participate in education whatever their financial situation and have contributed to the current record high proportion of 16 to 17 year olds who are participating in education or apprenticeships, the highest since consistent records began.

Physical Education: Teachers

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many PE teachers were employed by schools in England in (a) 2009, (b) 2012 and (c) 2017.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of teachers teaching individual subjects is available for state funded secondary schools only. Because the school workforce survey was only introduced in 2010 there is no information available for 2009. In November 2012 there was an estimated headcount of 24,700 teachers teaching PE in state funded secondary schools. In November 2017 there were 23,100.

Physical Education

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average number of hours per week was of PE undertaken by pupils in secondary school pupils in England in (a) 2009, (b) 2012 and (c) 2017.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government is clear that PE is a valuable subject. For this reason, the national curriculum continues to ensure that PE is compulsory at all four key stages. Academies and free schools are not required to follow the national curriculum but must provide a broad and balanced curriculum that should include PE. Ofsted inspections evaluate the effectiveness of the PE curriculum in all state funded schools as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.We do not hold information on the average hours per week taught by secondary schools. Information on the number of hours taught in individual subjects has been collected since 2010 in the school workforce census for state-funded secondary schools only. This information is therefore not available for 2009. In November 2012, the number of hours taught in PE to pupils in state funded secondary schools, was 317,100 hours. For 2017, this same statistic was 282,200 hours. This school workforce census data can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-workforce.However, these figures do not cover the time dedicated to extra-curricular sport or other physical activity done outside of formal lessons.

Dedicated Schools Grant

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount paid to local authorities as dedicated school grants in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Dedicated Schools Grant allocations for the last 5 years are published in full on GOV.UK, and can be accessed at the following links: Information for 2018-19 can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019. Information for 2017-18 can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018. Information for 2016-17 can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2016-to-2017. Information for 2015-16 can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-2016. Information for 2014-15 can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2014-to-2015.

Free School Meals: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency were eligible for Free School Meals in each of the last ten years for which figures are available.

Nadhim Zahawi: The number of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) and who also claim them is published at the annual ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics’ statistical release. This is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2018. Although data is not summarised by parliamentary constituency, the data for each school is available in the ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics 2018’. This is the underlying data of the annual ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics’ statistical release, which is contained in the file ‘Schools_Pupils_and_their_Characteristics _2018_Schools_Pupils_UD’. The figures can be filtered by school phase (column N), school type (column O) and parliamentary constituency (column X). Column ED provides the number of pupils eligible for FSM who are having one on census day. Information for earlier years (from 2010 onwards) can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.

Social Mobility Commission: Public Appointments

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what was the cost to the public purse was of the recruitment process for new board members of the Social Mobility Commission.

Nadhim Zahawi: There was no additional cost to the public purse from the recruitment process for new board members of the Social Mobility Commission.

Free Schools: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the total reserves by each free school in England.

Nadhim Zahawi: For academy schools, including free schools, we collect cumulative budgetary surplus (Reserves) data at Trust level. We do not separately identify the Reserves position for free schools.In 2015/16 the total number of single academy trusts (SATs) in cumulative surplus was 1,735 and the total number of multi academy trusts (MATs) in cumulative surplus was 1,084. The median cumulative surplus for academy trusts (of which a higher proportion are secondary schools than is the case for maintained schools) was £364,000 for SATs and £664,000 for MATs. There were 165 (5.5%) trusts with a cumulative deficit of funds. The total deficit figure was £50 million, with a mean deficit of circa £306,000 per trust.Figures for the 2016/17 academic year will be published shortly in October 2018 in the Academy Schools Sector in England Consolidated annual report and accounts.

Erasmus+ Programme

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with EU officials over the 2018 parliamentary summer recess on participating in the successor programme to Erasmus+ after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Sam Gyimah: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained in her Mansion House speech on 2 March that “there are many other areas where the UK and EU economies are closely linked – including education and culture. The government values international exchange and collaboration in education and training as part of its vision for a global Britain”.As noted in the government’s white paper, the UK is open to exploring participation in the successor scheme to the current Erasmus+ Programme and we welcome the proposals for the 2021-2027 successor scheme to Erasmus+, which were published on 30 May. We are considering these carefully and officials have participated constructively in discussions on them with their counterparts, and will continue to do so while we remain in the EU.Ultimately, UK participation in the successor programmes is a matter for negotiations to come about our future relationship with the EU.In the meantime, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement, we will continue to participate in Erasmus+ until 2020 and the government will underwrite Erasmus+ funding for all successful bids submitted while we are still in the EU. This arrangement is dependent on reaching an agreement with the EU, that UK organisations can continue to be eligible to participate in Erasmus+ projects.

Teachers: Pay

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason he did not accept all the pay recommendations made by the 2018 report of the School Teachers’ Review Body.

Nick Gibb: The Government is accepting in full the School Teachers Review Body’s (STRB’s) recommended 3.5% uplift to the main pay range, building on last year’s 2% uplift to the main pay range, subject to the consultation. This will both raise starting salaries significantly and increase the competitiveness of the early career pay framework.As was set out in the STRB’s remit, it is crucial that the pay award is affordable. There will be a lower, though still substantial, uplift to the pay ranges for leaders and higher-paid teachers. Senior teachers will see a 2% uplift to the upper pay range, while pay ranges for school leaders will be uplifted by 1.5%. These are significantly larger increases than in recent years.This is in line with the Government’s approach to pay review body recommendations across the public sector this year, with all pay awards the Government considered the wider pressures on public spending and the need to ensure they are fair both for public sector staff and the taxpayer. This award is fully funded from existing Departmental underspends - there will be no cuts to existing programmes to fund this grant.The flexible performance-based pay system, introduced four years ago following recommendations from the STRB, means that schools are able to choose to give teachers or leaders a higher pay rise where this is appropriate to their particular local context and budget.

Teachers: Qualifications

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of secondary school teachers with a degree level qualification relevant to the subject that they teach.

Nick Gibb: The quality of trainees entering initial teacher training (ITT) overall is at an all time high, with 74% of trainees in the 2017-18 cohort holding a 2:1 or better and 19% holding a first class degree. In addition, for EBacc subjects, 79.2% of teachers currently hold a relevant post A level qualification for the subject they teach and, of all EBacc subjects, 87.4% of taught hours is by a teacher with a relevant post A level qualification. The Department encourages talented graduates to teach key subjects through generous bursaries, worth up to £26,000 for priority subjects, and prestigious scholarships. The scholarship scheme takes approximately the top 10% of ITT participants across the priority subjects of Chemistry, Computing, Geography, Languages, Maths and Physics and provides them with a scholarship bursary as well as enhanced subject specific support whilst completing their teacher training. Applicants who secure a scholarship have been successful at an enhanced selection process, led by the chartered professional body of the relevant subject, where they are expected to demonstrate subject expertise, particularly focused on curriculum requirements. Currently all scholars, apart from Maths, receive an enhanced initial bursary of £28,000. Maths trainees receive an enhanced initial bursary of £22,000 with additional early career bonuses of at least £5,000 in their 3rd and 5th year of teaching. All bursaries are tax-free.

Strategic School Improvement Fund

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to reallocate the remaining funds from the Strategic School Improvement Fund.

Nick Gibb: Between now and 2020, the Strategic School Improvement Fund (SSIF) will contribute £56 million to 171 projects, improving 3,100 schools across the country. This builds on the additional £1.3 billion already allocated to schools in the next two years, taking school funding to a record level of £43.5 billion by 2020.Remaining funds from the SSIF will be kept under review and allocated, as appropriate, to other departmental priorities.

Secondary Education: Enfield

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding per pupil (a) Broomfield secondary, (b) Highlands secondary, (c) Southgate secondary, (d) St Anne's Catholic high and (e) Winchmore secondary school received and is projected to receive in each year from 2017 to 2020.

Nick Gibb: The national funding formula (NFF) has, for the first time in 2018-19, distributed school funding according to a formula based on the individual needs and characteristics of every school in the country. The attached table outlines the notional NFF allocations for the requested schools in Enfield Southgate from 2017 to 2020.To provide stability for schools, local authorities continue to be responsible for the distribution of individual schools’ budgets in their areas in consultation with local schools. Because of this, the actual amount that schools receive may be different from the amount they are attracting through the NFF.  



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Schools: Transport

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department has allocated to local authorities for home to school travel in each financial year since 2014-15.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 10 September 2018



The majority of central government funding for home to school transport is made available to local authorities through the local government finance settlement provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.Additional funding is provided each year by the Department for Education to support local authorities in meeting their ‘extended rights’ duties for children from low-income families. The level of funding is determined by the number of free school meal pupils eligible for extended rights transport.Extended Rights (ER) funding provided by the Department for Education since 2014-152014-15 ER allocations 2015-16 ER allocations 2016-17 ER allocations 2017-18 ER allocations 2018-19 ER allocations2018-19 additional ER allocations£25,057,300 £19,089,032 £18,809,200 £18,791,800 £19,023,900£4,757,300

Secondary Education: Greater London and Merseyside

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of secondary schools in (a) Merseyside and (b) London were rated (a) good or (b) outstanding in the last three years.

Nick Gibb: Ofsted inspection data shows the number and proportions of good and outstanding secondary schools in Merseyside to March 2018 can be found in the table below:  Merseyside Secondary schoolsAug-15Aug-16Aug-17Mar-18[1]Overall effectivenessNumber of schools% of totalNumber of schools% of totalNumber of schools% of totalNumber of schools% of totalOutstanding1517%1618%1517%1518%Good3439%3540%3338%3136% Ofsted inspection data shows the number and proportions of good and outstanding secondary schools in London to March 2018 can be found in the table below: London Secondary schoolsAug-15Aug-16Aug-17Mar-181Overall effectivenessNumber of schools% of totalNumber of schools% of totalNumber of schools% of totalNumber of schools% of totalOutstanding15534%16135%17237%17738%Good22550%23752%23550%23349%  [1] Data for August 2018 will be available in November 2018.

Teachers: Pay

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2018 to Question 168037 on Teachers: Pay, which specific forecasts have been scrutinised to allow the Department to centrally meet the cost Teachers’ Pay Grant; what those forecasts and assumptions originally were; and how those forecasts and assumptions have changed.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Students: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of university students have been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Any disclosure of diagnosed mental health conditions by higher education students to their institution is voluntary. The actual number of university students with diagnosed mental health conditions is therefore unknown.Latest data available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for the academic year 2016/17 shows that 57,300 students enrolled at UK Higher Education Institutions had declared that they suffer from a mental health condition, which is 2.5% of all enrolments.

Apprentices

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's target is for apprenticeship starts by 2020.

Anne Milton: In 2015 we set an ambitious goal of three million apprenticeship starts by 2020, and that remains our ambition. Whilst we do want to see an increasing number of apprenticeship starts, we will not sacrifice quality for quantity.New, employer-designed standards are replacing the existing frameworks which were often not fit-for-purpose. Starts on these standards continue to grow; latest data on apprenticeships in England show there have been 119,500 starts on standards in the first three quarters of the 2017/2018 academic year; more than ten times higher than the 11,000 reported at this time last year (2016/17). This represents just over 40 per cent of all stats reported in the 2017/18 academic year, compared to 2.5 per cent in 2016/17.

Speech and Language Disorders: Training

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on funding a programme of training for people jointly commissioning services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.​

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to address delayed language through the use of evidence-based intervention and training programmes.

Nadhim Zahawi: We are committed to supporting children with speech, language and communication needs. We have a special educational needs and disability (SEND) school workforce contract in place which provides strategic support to the workforce in mainstream and special schools. This enables schools to deliver high quality SEND provision which meets the needs of an increasingly broad range of special educational needs (SEN). The contract will monitor any gaps in provision and propose ways to meet these gaps through working with relevant SEN organisations including those who commission services. This contract will run until March 2020.I recognise the importance of support in schools for spoken language, which underpins the development of reading and writing. Early support for language development is also important. Therefore, as part of our drive to improve social mobility through education, we announced in our action plan ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’ that the department is working with Public Health England and the Department for Health and Social Care to improve early language outcomes for disadvantaged children. ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’ can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-social-mobility-through-education.We want to help provide health visitors with additional tools and training to identify and support children’s early speech, language and communication needs. We will do this by taking the following actions. Firstly, we will develop training and guidance to support these professionals, targeted to those areas of the greatest need. We will also develop an ‘early language assessment tool’ to help health visitors identify emerging language needs so that the right support can be put in place.

Strategic School Investment Fund

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria his Department used to allocate funding from of the Strategic Schools Investment Fund in the (a) current funding round and (b) previous funding rounds; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: There are no current rounds of the Strategic School Improvement Fund. To date, there have been three application rounds with details of all successful projects published on GOV.UK.All Strategic School Improvement Fund bids were assessed against published assessment criteria, which considered an evidence-based programme of work, deliverability, sustainability and value for money. The full criteria can be found in the attached guidance. 



171499_SSIF_Funding_Guidance
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Department for Education: Apprentices

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of the staff employed in each group of the Higher and Further Education Directorate within his Department are apprentices.

Anne Milton: The following number of staff in the Higher and Further Education Directorate are apprentices. The department does not hold the information requested at group level: DirectorateWorkforceNumber of apprenticesProportionHigher and Further Education623101.6%Information correct as of 31 August 2018.

Department for Education: Apprentices

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of the staff employed in (a) the Permanent Secretary's Office and (b) ministerial private offices within his Department are apprentices.

Anne Milton: There are fewer than five apprentices employed across the ministerial and Permanent Secretary’s offices in the department. An exact number is not provided so to prevent individuals being identifiable.

Academies

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2018 to Question 168003, if he will publish the number of academy schools awaiting rebrokering by the academy trust from which they are being transferred.

Nadhim Zahawi: It is our practice to publish the details of academy transfers when they have been completed.

Ministry of Justice

Magistrates: Training

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the reduction in magistrates' training costs from £110 per magistrate in 2008-09 to £36 in 2015 on (a) the consistent application of law in magistrates court trials, (b) defendants, (c) victims and (d) the justice system; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The training of magistrates is subject to the approval and supervision of the judiciary through the Judicial College. The Judicial College identifies the compulsory and essential minimum requirements for annual training plans, as well as any new or additional training needs. HM Courts and Tribunals Service (“HMCTS”) fund this training. It has been possible to reduce the cost of training magistrates, principally by discontinuing the use of external venues and delivering training at court centres. The content and quality of the training has not been compromised. Magistrates continue to play a vital role in ensuring access to justice, delivering local justice for communities, and upholding the principle of the rule of law.

Civil Proceedings

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2018 to Question 130945 on civil proceedings, who holds the information referred to in that question.

Lucy Frazer: The information is not held centrally as case information is not recorded by the categories in question.

Harassment: Court Orders

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil restraining orders were (a) requested and (b) granted in Wales in each of the last five years.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil restraining orders were (a) requested and (b) granted in England in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: The information on civil restraining orders requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The information requested on civil restraining orders granted for both England and Wales can be found at -https://www.gov.uk/guidance/civil-restraint-orders--2

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Security Guards

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the HM Courts and Tribunals Service employ security personnel to assist with the processing of tribunal cases.

Lucy Frazer: Security personnel are not employed to assist with the administrative processing of tribunal cases; this is undertaken by dedicated administrative staff. Contracted security personnel are, however, deployed to ensure the security and safety of all persons who work in and attend tribunal premises, and undertake specific duties including searching the public on entry and responding to security incidents. They are not involved in any administrative process outside of those duties.

Probation: Pay

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Government's news story, Around one million public sector workers to get pay rise, published on 24 July 2018, whether probation officers will receive a pay increase; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Our probation staff do a vital and challenging job reforming offenders and protecting the public.We have paid the contractual increase for probation staff below the top of their pay band, but have not been able to offer a pay increase for those staff who are already at the top of their pay band. To help to address the current situation, HMPPS is working closely with the probation trade unions to look at modernising the NPS pay structures and policies. Any announcement on the pay modernisation and pay increases after the negotiations are complete would be jointly made by HMPPS and the NPS trade unions.

Prisons: Synthetic Cannabinoids

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the level of use of synthetic cannabinoids in prisons.

Rory Stewart: In 2017/18, the rate of positive tests for new psychoactive substances in random mandatory drug testing was 12.2%. New psychoactive substances (NPS) are a game changer for prison safety, and this statistic reinforces the scale of the challenge. We are addressing this head on, and our £7m investment in prison security will further bolster defences via airport-security style scanners, improved searching techniques and phone-blocking technology. We have also launched a drugs taskforce with law enforcement and health partners across government to restrict supply, reduce demand and build recovery. We are also adopting pioneering approaches such as our ‘Drug Recovery Prison’ pilot at HMP Holme House, which is leading the way in tackling the supply of drugs and putting offenders on a long-term path to recovery.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what statistics his Department collects on the time taken for a tribunal judge to produce a statement of reasons following a benefits tribunal decision; and what representations his Department has received from (a) organisations and (b) individuals on the length of time taken to produce those statements.

Lucy Frazer: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) collects data on the number of statement requests recorded as having been with a Judge for over 28 days; the average age of those statements; the age of the oldest one; and the percentage of statements requested in relation to the number of cases cleared. HMCTS has received correspondence from the Department for Work and Pensions, and from Members of Parliament relating to statement of reasons requests. The production of statements is a judicial function. The Tribunal’s Procedure Rules require the statement of reasons to be provided within one month of the request or as soon as practicable thereafter.

Addictions: Mental Capacity

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria is used to assess people with (a) substance or (b) alcohol addiction when they undergo a Mental Capacity Assessment.

Edward Argar: The Mental Capacity Assessment requires a two-stage test of capacity.Stage 1. Is there an impairment of, or disturbance in the functioning of a person's mind or brain? This could be due to long-term conditions such as mental illness, dementia, or more temporary states such as confusion, unconsciousness, or the effects of drugs or alcohol andStage 2. Is the impairment or disturbance sufficient that the person lacks the capacity to make a particular decision?The Mental Capacity Act says that a person is unable to make their own decision if they cannot do one or more of the following four things:Understand information given to them;Retain that information long enough to be able to make the decision;Weigh up the information available to make the decision;Communicate their decision – this could be by talking, using sign language or even simple muscle movements such as blinking an eye or squeezing a hand.

Arrest Warrants

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many bail, no bail and breach arrest warrants were undertaken in-house by the HM Courts and Tribunals Service in each of the last six years; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested can be only be partially provided. Existing case management systems do not capture this level of detail and manual systems which record this information were only introduced in December 2016. Financial Arrest and Breach Warrants allocated to CEOs  YearWarrant Type16/17 [1]17/1818/19[2]Bail6511043487No Bail211654351411940Breach342278222433 This information is collated from local management information systems and is not subject to the same level of cleansing and scrutiny as published data. [1] December 2016 – March 2017 only[2] April 2018 – July 2018 only

Arrest Warrants

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many bail, no bail and breach arrest warrants were undertaken by Approved Enforcement Agencies in each of the last six years; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested can be only be partially provided. Existing case management systems do not capture this level of detail and manual systems which capture this specific information were only introduced in April 2015. Arrest Warrants Allocated to Approved Enforcement Agents  Financial YearWarrant Type15/16[1]16/1717/1818/19[2]Bail9067174564726728No Bail2119430234302735303Breach4401642577401538 This information is collated from local manual systems and is not subject to the same level of cleansing and scrutiny as published data. [1] April 2015 – March 2016 is not captured for all Approved Enforcement Agents[2] April 2018 – June 2018 only

Arrest Warrants

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many bail, no bail and breach arrest warrants were undertaken by (a) JBW Group, (b) Equita, (c) Excel Civil Enforcement Ltd, (d) Outsourcing UK Ltd, (e) Capita Business Services Ltd, (f) Marston Group, (g) Collectica and (h) Swift Commercial Services in each of the last six years.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested can be only be partially provided. Existing case management systems do not capture this level of detail and manual systems which record this specific information were only introduced in April 2015. Additionally, data can only be provided for existing providers, these are; Marston, Collectica, Swift and Excel.  Arrest Warrants allocated to Marston Financial Year Warrant Type15/1616/1717/1818/19[1] Bail9067174334683654 No Bail1372318324207523208 Breach244447055306885 Arrest Warrants allocated to Collectica Financial Year Warrant Type15/1616/1717/1818/19[2] Bail0234374 No Bail74711191095212095 Breach88011401913439 Arrest Warrants allocated to Swift   Financial Year Warrant Type15/1616/1717/1818/19[3] Bail000  No Bail000  Breach52528314229 Arrest Warrants allocated to Excel   Financial Year Warrant Type15/1616/1717/1818/19[4] Bail0000 No Bail0000 Breach552297379185This information is collated from local management information systems and is not subject to the same level of cleansing and scrutiny as published data.[1] April 2018 – June 2018 only[2] April 2018 – June 2018 only[3] April 2018 – June 2018 only[4] April 2018 – June 2018 only

Arrest Warrants

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has accepted bids relating to the outsourcing of bail, no bail and breach arrest warrants from providers that offered to provide those services for free; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has recently conducted a procurement competition relating to the provision of HMCTS Approved Enforcement Agency services, including bail, no bail and arrest warrants. The conduct and outcome of that process is currently subject to legal proceedings. As a result, the Ministry of Justice has not yet entered into any new contract(s) for AEA services with bidders. Accordingly, pending the resolution of the legal proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment on the contents of any of the bids received as the final outcome of the procurement competition remains undetermined.

Churches: Repairs and Maintenance

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if the Law Commission will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the law on chancel repair liability as it applies to Wales as part of its Thirteenth Programme of Law Reform project on registered land and chancel repair liability.

Lucy Frazer: Under its Thirteenth Programme, the Law Commission is to consider the legal status of chancel repair liability in England and Wales where that liability is not evident from the land register. The Law Commission is not considering the wider question of whether chancel repair liability should be abolished and the Government has no plans to make a further assessment of the need for reform of the law in this area.

Crown Courts: Harrow

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to increase the number of cases heard at Harrow Crown Court; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The listing of cases is a matter for the judiciary. Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) agrees the number of sitting days for each Crown Court with the judiciary on an annual basis which is then periodically reviewed in response to demand. There is adequate capacity at Harrow Crown Court to meet current demand.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Telephone Services

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what performance targets have been established for the Courts and Tribunal Service on the length of time for telephones to be answered; and steps his Department has taken to ensure the accurate recording of that information.

Lucy Frazer: While we do not currently collect data on call answering times at local courts and tribunal offices, the HMCTS reform program will, over the next four years, deliver centralised courts and tribunals administration.Our Courts and Tribunal Service Centres (CTSCs) will be the first port of call for the public wanting information on their cases – allowing us to answer calls, emails and queries much more quickly and reliably.In addition, the HMCTS Contact Centre, based in Loughborough, currently supports telephony for Social Security Child Support, the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, the Employment Tribunal, tax appeals for all areas in England, Wales and Scotland, Money Claims, Family, Civil courts and Divorce across England and Wales.Call service level agreements stipulate that 90% of calls should be answered within 90 seconds at the contact centre. Performance statistics are produced weekly and monthly to track and report performance for each of the service lines.Calls are monitored for quality management and training purposes and call agents receive their call quality feedback for performance purposes on a regular basis.

Ministry of Justice: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total cost to the public purse of his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.

Lucy Frazer: Like all government departments, the UK’s departure from the European Union impacts upon most areas of departmental business within the Ministry of Justice. Given the close interactions between EU exit work and the Department’s other priorities, it is not possible to provide a precise figure on the total costs to the department, including additional staffing costs, of preparatory work for leaving the EU since 23 June 2016. HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: - £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. - £286m of additional funding for 2017-18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 2017-18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf. - Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 2018-19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March 2018. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/) At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor also set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU Exit preparations in 2019-20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019-20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Legal Opinion: VAT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of VAT on legal services on access to justice.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the VAT revenues collected on legal services. Tax is a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer and HM Treasury keeps all taxes under review.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of personal independence payment appeals were successful in (a) Brighton and Hove and (b) the UK in the latest period for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: Information about the volumes and outcomes of appeals, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at:www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics (a) HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not record data based on constituencies. SSCS appeals are listed into the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. The published csv files provide information about the outcomes of PIP appeals for individual hearing venues including Brighton, where appeals from constituents living in the Brighton and Hove areas would be heard.(b) HMCTS administer appeals received from appellants living in England, Scotland and Wales. The Appeals Service, part of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, administers appeals from appellants living in Northern Ireland. Latest figures indicate that since PIP was introduced, more than 3.1 million decisions have been made, and of these under 9% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned. For ESA, 8% of decisions made were appealed and 4% have been overturned at tribunals.

Prisons: Synthetic Cannabinoids

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the usage of Spice in prisons.

Rory Stewart: We have made it a criminal offence to possess new psychoactive substances in prison and trained more than 300 sniffer dogs specifically to detect these drugs.We have launched a Drugs Taskforce, working with law enforcement and health partners from across government to restrict supply, reduce demand and build recovery from drug use, including psychoactive substances.Our Taskforce is working with 10 of the most challenging prisons to understand their situation and will invest £6 million to tackle drug supply in these establishments, alongside its wider work to provide support and guidance across the prison estate.We are also adopting pioneering approaches such as our ‘Drug Recovery Prison’ pilot at HMP Holme House, which is leading the way in tackling the supply of drugs and putting offenders on a long-term path to recovery.

Birmingham Prison: G4S

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what financial penalties his Department plans to impose upon G4S following the Government takeover of HMP Birmingham.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of ability of G4S to maintain Government contracts as a result of that company's contract to manage HMP Birmingham.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to return HMP Birmingham to a private sector body when it has reached the standards required by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons.

Rory Stewart: G4S will cover the cost of the step-in at Birmingham but the MoJ does not apply financial penalties to its contracts; this practice being unenforceable in contract law. Financial remedies may be applied where a Contractor exceeds the maximum number of performance points accrued following any failure to achieve specified service levels set out in its contract. The contract at HMP Birmingham provides for the above calculation to be performed on a quarterly basis in arrears with any financial deduction recovered from G4S as a credit. The cost of the step-in will not be borne by the tax-payer. Private sector companies continue to have an important role to play in the justice system, bringing innovation and expertise. We monitor all our strategic suppliers, including G4S, closely. Alongside contract management in departments, government officials meet all strategic suppliers regularly to discuss their financial and strategic situation as well as to discuss performance of government contracts. HMPPS has stepped in under the terms of its contract to take operational control of HMP Birmingham until February 2019 in order to regain the necessary stability, and we’ll take a view again about its longer-term future at that time.

Birmingham Prison: G4S

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the Government’s takeover of HMP Birmingham after the termination of the contractual arrangements with G4S.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the level of funding required to ensure that HMP Birmingham meets the standards set out by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons.

Rory Stewart: The contract with G4S has not been terminated. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has, since 20 August, exercised its right under the contract to step in and take over the running of HMP Birmingham for an initial period of six months. The contract with G4S requires them to provide sufficient resources to manage the prison effectively. The additional cost of the step-in action, including HMPPS staff, has yet to be finalised. However, the entire cost, together with any reduction in the price for cells taken out of operational use, will be recovered in accordance with our contract with G4S. As part of developing the action plan in response to the Urgent Notification, we continue to consider the steps necessary to respond to the concerns raised. We will also need to further consider action required when the full inspection report is received in the coming months.

Birmingham Prison

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has plans to increase the number of prison officers in HMP Birmingham as a result of the cessation of contractual arrangements with G4S.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has plans to relocate prison officers to HMP Birmingham from other prisons as a result of the cancellation of the contract with G4S.

Rory Stewart: The contract with G4S has not been terminated. HM Prison and Probation Service has (since 20 August) exercised its right under the contract to step in and take over the running of HMP Birmingham for an initial period of six months. This ‘step in’ action means that we can provide additional resources and support to the prison in order to directly address the areas of failure identified, and can subsequently recover the cost of doing so from G4S in accordance with the terms of the contract. We have already allocated experienced HM Prison and Probation Service officers to bolster existing staffing at HMP Birmingham, and an initial 32 experienced public sector officers have begun working at the prison. We are also strengthening the management team and reducing the prisons population.

Prisons: Private Sector

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the failings identified at HMP Birmingham will not be replicated in (a) HMP Altcourse, (b) HMP Ashfield, (c) HMP Bronzefield, (d) HMP Doncaster, (e) HMP Dovegate, (f) HMP/YOI Forest Bank, (g) HMP Lowdham Grange, (h) HMP Oakwood, (i) HMP/YOI Parc, (j) HMP Peterborough, (k) HMP Rye Hill, (l) HMP Thameside and (m) HMP Northumberland.

Rory Stewart: We have some good, innovative prisons run by the private sector, which highlights the benefits of a mixed economy approach to this service. We will continue to robustly monitor the contracts of the other privately-managed prisons to ensure that they deliver the highest possible standards in prison care. Each privately managed prison has an on-site Controller who is accountable to a designated HM Prison and Probation Service Senior Contract Manager who is responsible for monitoring whether the contract is being delivered in accordance with agreed contractual delivery indicators, and that the prisons provide safe, decent and secure services, in line with HMPPS performance standards. G4S run good prisons at Altcourse, Oakwood, Parc and Ryehill. They have struggled to achieve the progress required at Birmingham since the serious concerted indiscipline in December 2016 but we are determined to do what is necessary to improve the performance of the prison.

Bail

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times unconditional bail has been granted in the last three years.

Rory Stewart: It is not possible to identify from centrally held data the number of times unconditional court bail has been granted in the last three years as the data does not identify whether or not conditions were attached to bail.

Forced Marriage: Convictions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State Justice, how many people have been convicted of offences relating to forced marriage in the last three years.

Lucy Frazer: The number of defendants prosecuted and convicted of offences relating to forced marriage, from 2015-2017, can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733981/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017-update.xlsxSearch ‘Offence’ for ’36.1 Forced marriage’ and ’66.6 Breach of a forced marriage protection order’. Figures for 2018 are planned for publication in May 2019.

Legal Aid Scheme

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many unsuccessful applications for legal aid have been made in the last 12 months.

Rory Stewart: The Legal Aid Agency publishes the information requested on a quarterly basis and it can be found at gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-january-to-march-2018 Please refer to tables 3.1 and 3.2, 6.1, 8.1 for full details.

Administration of Justice: Mental Illness

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people requiring a psychiatric assessment before a court case can proceed; and what information he holds on the cost of such assessments.

Lucy Frazer: Information on the numbers and cost of psychiatric assessments is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prison Governors

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison governors since 2010 who were transferred to another prison had served as prison governors in the prison they were transferred from for between (a) 0 to 6 months, (b) 6 to 12 months and (c) 12 to 24 months.

Rory Stewart: We commend our hard working governors who do a vital job in protecting the public every day. The experience of governors is vital to the effective running of prisons and this is gained through a variety of career paths. Unfortunately the information that you requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, I can provide some information on the length of service of governors in place as of 30 June 2018. Table 1: HMPS Governors1, by length of time as a governor, as at 30 June 2018  Completed years as Governor2Headcount061162836465-92210-142715-199Total100  1 Only includes substantive Governing Governors working in the HM Prison Service. Therefore, these figures do not include deputy Governors or those covering Governing Governor roles.2 Length of service is calculated from the date they first became a governor.

Prisons: Smuggling

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers by length of service of (a) less than 6 months, (b) between 6 months and 12 months and (c) more than 12 months have been (i) dismissed, (ii) excluded, (iii) convicted and (iv) cautioned by the police for smuggling contraband into prisons in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: The vast majority of prison staff undertake their duties with honesty and integrity. However, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is committed to investigating and eliminating corruption to ensure prisons are a safe and secure environment for staff, prisoners and visitors. The requested data is in the table below. This data does not include non-directly employed staff, Prison Custody Officers or other staff employed in the private estate. An asterisk (*) has been used to suppress values of five or less. This is to prevent disclosure of individual information in accordance with our statutory obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018. OutcomeLength of service20102011201220132014201520162017Total  Dismissals ********23 6 - 12 months > 12 months Exclusions 00000*000 6 - 12 months > 12 months Convictions **0*****23 6 - 12 months0* > 12 months76 Police Cautions ***0****14 6 - 12 months0 > 12 months7 Total Number of staff88101563101171

Prisons: Repairs and Maintenance

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2018 to Question 126904 on Prisons: Repairs and Maintenance, how many outstanding (a) preventative and (b) reactive maintenance actions on the prisons estates (i) at each location and (ii) under each facilities management contract there were on 1 September 2018.

Rory Stewart: Data for 1 September 2018 is not yet available. I will write to the Rt Hon Member with the information requested once the figures can be provided and will place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Prisons: Sports

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of sports programmes in prisons; and what estimate he has made of the level of participation rates in sports programmes by prisoners in each of the last 10 years.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of sport programmes in prisons in supporting the rehabilitation of prisoners.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much money was spent from the public purse on sports programmes in prisons in (a) 2009 and (b) 2017.

Edward Argar: Sport and physical activity in prison can help to build prisoner’s confidence, provide purposeful activity and support engagement with rehabilitation when prisoners are preparing for release. There are measures in place to monitor the effectiveness and participation levels of physical education (PE) across the prison estate, and the standards of sports and activities are monitored by Physical Education Managers (PEM). I have attached available data in relation to prisoner participation levels over the last 10 years. Unfortunately, data for 2011 – 2012 is not available.   Our response to Professor Rosie Meek's independent review of sport and physical activity sets out some of the work we are doing to improve provision of sport and physical activity education in the secure youth estate. That response can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733311/a-sporting-chance-govt-response.pdf. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) also recently conducted a strategic review of PE in prisons which examined current delivery, and measured delivery effectiveness against specifications. It also considered how current PE delivery meets the needs of prisoners, staff, and the emerging requirements from prison reform initiatives. We hope to publish these findings in due course. HMPPS does not separately identify spending associated with sports programmes. The information in relation to the amount spent in 2009 and 2017 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost  Prisoner participation levels from data available – Physical Education   2017 - 2018 Establishments[1] Target %Actual % Averages61.2961.13   2016 - 2017 Establishments[2] Target %Actual % Averages60.9661.29   2015 - 2016 Establishments[3] Target %Actual % Averages53.6960.96   2014 - 2015 Establishments[4] Target %Actual % Averages56.9853.69   2013 - 2014 Establishments[5] Target %Actual % Averages57.2156.98   2012 - 2013 Establishments[6] Target %Actual % Averages57.5957.21   2009 - 2010 Establishments[7] Target %Actual % Averages57.6457.59   2008 - 2009 Establishments[8] Target %Actual % Averages56.4957.64  [1] 88 of 112 returns received for this period.[2] 85 of 112 returns received for this period.[3] 91 of 112 returns received for this period.[4] 80 of 114 returns received for this period.[5] 79 of 117 returns received for this period.[6] 90 of 117 returns received for this period.[7] 121 of 129 returns received for this period.[8] 116 of 129 returns received for this period.

Small Claims: Industrial Accidents

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the increase in the small claims limit from £1,000 to £2,000 on the ability of victims of workplace accidents to bring forward a claim.

Rory Stewart: We are increasing the small claims limit for employers and public liability claims to £2,000. This is both in line with inflation, using the RPI measure, and consistent with the way that increases to the Judicial College Guidelines are calculated. This will lead to a similar number and type of claims being covered as were when the limit was set at £1,000 in 1991. The Government’s consultation response outlining its assessment and decision on this issue is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-the-soft-tissue-injury-whiplash-claims-process.

Women's Centres

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he is making in the development of the new women centres announced on 27 June 2018; and if he will ensure that such provision will be made available in Wales.

Edward Argar: We are working with local and national partners to develop a pilot for ‘residential women’s centres’ in at least five sites across England and Wales.Over the next few months, we are undertaking an initial engagement process with stakeholders and potential providers and partners to refine the design and delivery model for the pilot. This will support our co-design approach for taking forward the pilot.As part of this engagement process, we want to identify the most suitable areas for the pilot sites. It is not possible yet to say where they will be at this time. However, as with other areas, we are keen to engage with stakeholders and partners in Wales to determine appetite and suitability.

Divorce Settlements

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to redefine live animals in divorce cases so they are not regarded as property.

Lucy Frazer: The Government has no current plans to change the law in this way. Divorcing couples are free to agree their own arrangements in relation to animals, including family pets

Prisons: Private Sector

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the prison officer to prisoner ratio is for prisons outsourced to the private sector.

Rory Stewart: Regularly updated statistics on the prison population can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-figures-2018 HM Prison and Probation workforce statistics are not published for privately managed prisons. This table displays the number of funded posts for Prison Custody Officers at each privately managed prison as of July 2018. AltcourseAshfieldBirminghamBronzefieldDoncasterDovegateForest Bank262.1274.6302157218.5251.2247Lowdham GrangeNorthumberlandOakwoodParcPeterboroughRye HillThameside230235.5284354333.5145192 Prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent. We have recruited over 3,000 new prison officers across the country in the last 18 months to improve safety and help turn offenders’ lives around. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose - protecting the public, reducing reoffending and crucially, rehabilitating offenders.

Courts

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is his policy that (a) HMCTS and (b) any employee or agent of HMCTS collect information from legal representatives attending court on their client's nationality.

Lucy Frazer: Section 86A of the Courts Act 2003, as inserted by Section 162 of the Policing and Crime Act 2017, requires defendants appearing in person before a criminal court to state their name, date of birth and nationality when requested to do so by the court. This information may be provided orally or in writing and could be submitted through the defendant’s legal representative at the hearing. HM Courts and Tribunals Service commenced use of this power in November 2017.

Department for International Trade

Space Technology: Exports

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to further UK exports in the space sector.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade’s (DIT) Export Strategy, published 21st August, set out how government will support businesses of all sizes to make the most of the opportunities presented by markets around the world. In line with this strategy, DIT is significantly boosting its support for UK space exports. We have launched high value campaigns targeting the US and Indian markets and are working with UK companies to support their exporting activity through our Space Sector team, International Trade Advisers and overseas DIT network. DIT also co-chairs with industry the Space Growth Partnership’s Space Exports Group and Space Exports Forum.

Trade Remedies Authority

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Trade Remedies Authority will have the capacity to conduct full-scale investigations (a) on its own and (b) in parallel with EU organisations by March 2019.

George Hollingbery: We are committed to establishing the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) by the time the UK leaves the EU and have taken clear steps to achieve this, including:establishing the TRA’s offices and locationrecruiting TRA stafftesting the new digital platform that will underpin the work of the TRAWe are also developing and delivering a comprehensive training programme for TRA staff to ensure they are trained and ready to operate the UK’s trade remedies system when the UK leaves the EU.This may include undertaking some work in parallel to the European Commission during any time-limited implementation period agreed between the UK and EU.

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the total cost to the public purse for his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

George Hollingbery: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as:£412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf.Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March.(https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

George Hollingbery: The Department was created in July 2016 following the result of the EU referendum and was specifically established as part of the government's EU exit strategy.At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor also set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU Exit preparations in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Trade Agreements: Public Consultation

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the oral statement of 16 July 2018, Official Report, column 41 on trade policy, how the Government plans to engage with the public, business and civil society, including women’s rights organisations in countries with whom it seeks new trade agreements.

George Hollingbery: We have launched four public consultations to enable as many people as possible to have their say on prospective new agreements with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and on the UK’s potential membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The consultations are online and open to the broadest possible audience, inviting individuals, businesses and civil society organisations to engage with us, including those representing women’s rights or from countries with whom we are consulting on prospective new trade deals.Alongside this, we will continue to utilise our global network, including our HM Trade Commissioners and Embassies to engage with the public, business and civil society in countries with whom we seek new trade agreements.

Tunisia: Overseas Trade

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on British-Tunisian trade.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade (DIT) advances UK trade and investment objectives in Tunisia through a number of different channels. This includes through Government officials and the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Tunisia, my hon. Friend for South West Wiltshire, Dr Andrew Murrison MP, who has also met and will continue to engage key Tunisian stakeholders.DIT also works closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development to advance our trade relationship with Tunisia. Recently my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, Penny Mordaunt MP, and my Rt hon. Friend, the Minister of State for the Middle East at the FCO, Alistair Burt MP, have included trade in their engagement with counterparts when visiting Tunisia.

Trade Agreements

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to his oral contribution of 16 July 2018, Official Report column 42, whether an impact assessment of a new trade deal will be (a) undertaken by an independent consultant ex ante and (b) include an assessment of the impact on women and girls in developing countries.

George Hollingbery: I refer the hon. Member for Canterbury to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Midlothian on 6 September 2018, UIN: 169743.

Trade Agreements: Conditions of Employment

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to his oral contribution of 16 July 2018, Official Report column 42, if he will ensure that existing (a) women’s and (b) workers' rights are protected in all changes to legislation made through the bespoke primary legislation brought forward to implement new trade agreements.

George Hollingbery: The UK has long supported the promotion of our values globally and this will continue as we leave the EU. We’re clear that more trade doesn’t have to come at the expense of workers. The Prime Minister has indicated that we will protect existing workers’ rights and build on them when the time is right for the United Kingdom.The UK is committed to promoting the economic empowerment of women and recognises trade as an important lever for equality. As the UK establishes an independent trade policy, the Government will take a gender-responsive approach to trade and create a framework that delivers for women as employees and business leaders.When we bring forward legislative proposals to implement new trade deals, Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise this new legislation in the normal way.

Balance of Trade

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the size of the UK trade deficit in respect of (a) manufactured goods, (b) food and (c) energy; and what recent comparison he has made of each deficit with the size of such deficits and surpluses registered by other major economies.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to change the balance of trade in manufactured goods.

Graham Stuart: On an annual basis UK exports continue to grow faster than UK imports, with ONS figures showing the overall trade deficit narrowing by £5.0bn, from £30.9bn in 2016 to £25.9bn in 2017. Internationally comparable data from UNCTAD shows the UK has the lowest trade deficit amongst G8 nations for energy goods, the third highest trade deficit for manufactured goods, and the second highest trade deficit for food products.We recently launched the government’s new export strategy that sets out a new offer to help boost exports, informed by engagement with businesses across the UK. Our ambition is for the UK to be a 21st century exporting superpower, by raising exports as a percentage of GDP from 30% to 35%, towards the top of the G7 by this measure.

Manufacturing Industries: Foreign Investment in UK

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to encourage foreign direct investment in the manufacturing industries.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade launched its Foreign Direct Investment strategy this year to deliver a more targeted approach to promotion and investor support across all sectors, including manufacturing.We have worked with local partners and Devolved Administrations to identify “High Potential Opportunities” for targeted promotion, addressing market failures of information for those opportunities which are currently overlooked, misunderstood or under-estimated. The first three of which focus on the manufacturing sector.In addition, we continue to work closely with Government colleagues strengthening the attractiveness of the UK business environment for foreign investment, especially through the industrial strategy.

Trade Agreements: Conditions of Employment

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to his oral contribution of 16 July 2018, Official Report column 42, on bringing forward bespoke pieces of primary legislation to implement new trade agreements, if he will ensure that existing (a) women’s and (b) workers’ rights will be protected in all changes to legislation.

George Hollingbery: I refer the hon. Member for Dundee East to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Canterbury today, UIN: 169731.

Trade Agreements

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to his oral contribution of 16 July 2018, Official Report column 42, if he will provide an example of the provisions in a future trade agreement for which (a) changes to legislation are required and (b) there are no existing powers.

George Hollingbery: We are currently consulting on four future trade agreements and it would not be appropriate at this stage to comment on what provisions might be included in future agreements.As we leave the EU, the Government is committed to ensuring that Parliament receives the right level of scrutiny of our future trade arrangements.

Overseas Investment

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of UK Foreign Direct Investment.

Graham Stuart: In addition to publishing annual analysis of DIT’s FDI performance as Official Statistics, my Department has recently published one of the most comprehensive analyses of the economic impact of FDI in the world. This highlights the benefits of FDI to the UK and demonstrates how my Department is delivering national wealth for the UK. Our success is reflected in the UK retaining the top position in Europe: across FDI projects, new jobs and greenfield capital expenditure. The links to each publication is as follows:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/department-for-international-trade-inward-investment-results-2017-to-2018,https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimating-the-economic-impact-of-fdi-to-support-dits-promotion-strategy-analytical-report

Trade Agreements

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to his oral contribution of 16 July 2018, Official Report, column 41 on Trade Policy, whether the Government plans to consult (a) the public, (b) business and (c) civil society including women’s rights organisations in the countries with which the UK seeks new trade agreements on those agreements.

George Hollingbery: Holding answer received on 11 September 2018



I refer the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown today, UIN: 169728.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Domestic Violence

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect people who have fled domestic violence and are homeless.

Nigel Adams: Domestic abuse is a devastating crime that nobody should have to suffer. Supporting victims of domestic abuse is an absolute priority for this Government. Councils have a legal duty to provide accommodation to families and others who are vulnerable as a result of fleeing domestic abuse. The Homelessness Reduction Act requires councils to take reasonable steps for all eligible households who are homeless, to help them secure accommodation. The Homelessness Code of Guidance also makes clear that local authorities should not limit their understanding of domestic abuse to physical violence alone, and that in all cases involving domestic abuse, the safety of the victim is paramount.We are overhauling the statutory homelessness data collection alongside the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act. This will give us better insights into the causes of homelessness and the support people needs of people who approach their local authority for homelessness assistance, including people fleeing domestic violence.We are also continuing to support the Women’s Aid Routes to Support and No Woman Turned Away projects, having already provided almost £889,000 between 2015 and 2018 for these projects. Routes to Support (formerly UK Refuges online) is part-funded by the Government and is a UK-wide online database containing information about domestic abuse and other violence against women services. No Woman Turned Away provides caseworker support to women facing difficulties in accessing refuge, including those at risk of or who have been sleeping rough or experiencing homelessness.

Social Rented Housing: Consultation Papers

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for publishing the social housing green paper; and for what reasons that green paper was not published prior to the House rising for summer recess.

Kit Malthouse: The Social Housing Green Paper was published on 14 August, with 12 weeks for consultation. While the Government was committed to publishing the Green Paper as soon as possible, it was important that we took the time to ensure that the proposed options did justice to the complex and challenging issues that we are seeking to remedy. As the Government continued to receive representations during recess asking to see the Green Paper issued without delay, it did not seem right to artificially hold up publication until Parliament returned.

Planning Permission: Biodiversity

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure biodiversity in the local environment is a criterion in planning applications.

Kit Malthouse: Environmental protection is at the heart of our revised National Planning Policy Framework, which is a material consideration in planning decisions. It states that planning should enhance the natural environment by minimising harm to biodiversity and providing net gains in biodiversity. The Framework strengthens protection for biodiversity (including Local Wildlife Sites), and makes clear that development harming irreplaceable habitats such as ancient woodland and ancient or veteran trees should be refused unless there are wholly exceptional reasons.

Homelessness and Temporary Accommodation: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate the Government has made of the number of children that are (a) homeless and (b) temporarily housed in Bed and Breakfast accommodation in (a) the Wirral, (b) Liverpool City Region, and (c) England.

Nigel Adams: The Department publishes regular statistics on rough sleeping, statutory homelessness and homelessness prevention and relief. The latest statistics can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness

Housing First: Liverpool City Region

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department is making on the roll-out of the Housing First pilot in the Liverpool city region.

Nigel Adams: The Liverpool City Region has received £1.16 million this year to implement Housing First, and has been allocated £7.7 million in total over three years.The Department is working closely, through the recently established Rough Sleeping Initiative, with the combined authority and its newly established project team, who will lead the implementation of the pilot in the region. The aim of this close working will be to establish an ambitious model of support.

Affordable Housing: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of small-site developers building 10 units or fewer being exempt from making a proportion of those units affordable on the ability of people living in South Lakeland to (a) buy and (b) rent property.

Kit Malthouse: I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 6 September to Question UIN 169255, in which affordable housing provisions in small sites are described.

Affordable Housing: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that there is a sufficient quantity of affordable homes in South Lakeland.

Kit Malthouse: We have announced a range measures to support housing associations and local authorities to build more genuinely affordable homes across England.We are giving councils the power to bid for an extra £1 billion additional borrowing to build a new generation of council housing and we have made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 to deliver 250,000 new affordable homes of a wide range of tenures, including social rent homes where they are needed most.The additional borrowing capacity and the delivery of social rent homes will be targeted to areas of high affordability pressures, such as South Lakeland, in a move to support families struggling to pay their rent.We have also confirmed long-term rent certainty for social landlords in England and in August we published our consultation on options for allowing local authorities more flexibility in the use of their Right to Buy receipts.

Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the final version of the Review of housing needs for caravans and houseboats: draft guidance will be published.

James Brokenshire: We are considering the future of this draft guidance, alongside whether any changes may be required to the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites, in light of the responses to the recent consultations on the revised National Planning Policy Framework, and unauthorised development and encampments. We will announce a way forward in due course. While this guidance is published in draft form, it is a matter for each local authority to decide the weight that is given to it.

Homes England: Land

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many hectares of (a) previously developed and (b) not previously developed land Homes England has acquired in 2017-18 by operating region.

James Brokenshire: For 2017-18, 22.55 hectares of a total of 22.55 hectares of land acquired by the Midlands Homes England operating area was previously developed; 7.00 hectares of a total of 8.25 hectares of land acquired by the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber Homes England operating area was previously developed; 39.97 hectares of a total of 102.94 hectares of land acquired by the North West Homes England operating region was previously developed; 344.69 hectares of a total of 459.61 hectares of land acquired by the South East Homes England operating area was previously developed; and, 53.37 hectares of a total of 127.08 hectares of land acquired by the South West Homes England operating area was previously developed.

Social Rented Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will set out the nature of the revisions to the Social housing lettings in England: April 2016 to March 2017 2016/17 data published by National Statistics on 6 August 2018.

James Brokenshire: Revisions to a small number of variables were made in the April 2016 to March 2017 data on 6 August 2018. These revisions are marked in the tables ( https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/social-housing-lettings-in-england-april-2016-to-march-2017) with an ‘R’ and do not affect any of the figures in the statistical release or the overall narrative.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the total cost to the public purse of his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Jake Berry: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as:£412 million of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016.£286 million of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf.Over £1.5 billion of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, made on 13 March (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

Jake Berry: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor also set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU Exit preparations in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.

Jake Berry: This information is not available as the Department does not account for costs in that way. MHCLG’s annual report and accounts 2017-2018 were published on 19 July: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mhclg-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications for financial support for recladding tower blocks his Department has received prior to the close of applications.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the total financial value of support requested by local authorities and housing associations is for recladding tower blocks.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the sufficiency of the £400m allocated by his department for tower block recladding to cover the financial requests made by housing associations and local councils.

Kit Malthouse: By the end of August deadline, MHCLG received applications to fund cladding remediation on 156 buildings owned by local authorities or housing associations. We need to carry out the required due diligence before we can take decisions on eligibility, confirm the total amount of funding required and start to make payments. We will still accept applications from building owners who have missed the deadline.

Homelessness

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent representations he has received on the (a) size and (b) condition of the homeless population.

Nigel Adams: The Department publishes regular statistics on rough sleeping, statutory homelessness and homelessness prevention and relief. The latest statistics can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessnessHomelessness charities regularly publish research and information on the homeless population. Ministers in the Department visit a variety of projects and regularly meet with key partners to discuss homelessness issues.

Homelessness: North East

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of levels of (a) homelessness and (b) rough sleeping in (i) Sunderland and (ii) the North East from 2010 until the most recent year for which information is available.

Nigel Adams: My Department publishes quarterly statistics on statutory homelessness and homelessness prevention and relief in England, and an annual rough sleeping count. These are published at a local authority level. The latest statistics can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department last undertook a review of enforcement powers in relation to illegal Traveller encampments.

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent representations he has received on illegal encampments by the Traveller community.

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has  plans to undertake a review of the enforcement powers available to (a) police forces and (b) local authorities in relation to illegal Traveller encampments.

Kit Malthouse: My Department published a consultation on 5 April alongside the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, in order to seek views on the effectiveness of powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments. Views were sought on a range of related issues, including the powers available to local authorities and the police. The consultation closed on 15 June and we are currently considering the responses before deciding on next steps. We received over 2,000 representations and we will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course.

Right to Buy Scheme

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report, Right to Buy Sales in England: January to March 2017-18, published on 28 June 2018, how many of the 19,445 additional right to buy sales reported were (a) detached, (b) semi-detached, (c) terraced and (d) flats.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the paper, Right to Buy Sales in England: January to March 2017-18, published on 28 June 2018, how many of  the 17,911 new start and acquisitions were (a) detached, (b) semi-detached, (c) terraced and (d) flats.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the paper, Right to Buy Sales in England: January to March 2017-18, published on 28 June 2018, how many of the 17,911 new start and acquisitions were (a) new build and (b) acquisitions.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to table 4a of the Right to Buy Sales in England: January to March 2017-18 document of 28 June 2018, what proportion of the 17,911 new start and acquisitions forming right to buy replacement are new builds.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to table 4a of the Right to Buy Sales in England: January to March 2017-18 of 28 June 2018, whether he is taking steps to increase the number of new build homes in order to reduce the disparity between the 17,911 new starts and acquisitions forming right to buy replacements and the 19,445 additional sales between Q1 2012-13 and Q4 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The Government does not collect data on whether local authority housing sold, acquired or built is detached, semi-detached, terraced or flats.Beginning with Q1 2017-18, local authorities were asked to split the numbers provided between new build starts and acquisitions. Figures distinguishing new-build from acquisitions were not required prior to this.Out of a total of 4,668 dwellings reported to have been started on site or acquired since Q1 2017-18, 56 per cent (2,515 dwellings) were starts on site for new builds and 44 per cent (1,953 dwellings) were acquisitionsOn 14 August, alongside the Social Housing Green Paper, the Government published a consultation paper on options for providing greater flexibility for local authorities in how they use their receipts from sales under the Right to Buy. The consultation closes on 9 October and we welcome responses from local authorities and other stakeholders. The consultation can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/use-of-receipts-from-right-to-buy-salesAnd responded to at:https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RTBconsultation

One Housing Group: Finance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much money from the public purse his Department has spent over the last five years on grants to (a) One Housing Group and (b) grants to consortia of which One Housing Group was a member.

Kit Malthouse: From 2012-2017, One Housing Group have received a total of £29,427,707 from the Affordable Homes Programme, allocated to them by the Greater London Authority (GLA) for delivery in London.The Mayor has overall responsibility for affordable housing policy and programme delivery in London. Government has agreed a £4.8 billion deal with the GLA, including £1.67 billion announced at the Spring Statement, to deliver at least 116,000 affordable housing starts by March 2022.Homes England is responsible for the delivery of the Affordable Homes Programme for the rest of England. One Housing Group have not received any grant funding from the Homes England programme in the last 5 years.

One Housing Group

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations his department has received over the past five years on the (a) property maintenance, (b) management, and (c) customer service record of One Housing Group.

Kit Malthouse: MHCLG has not received any representations over the past five years on property maintenance, management, and customer service record of One Housing Group.However, tenants approach the Housing Ombudsman to resolve individual complaints. More information on the Ombudsman can be found here: https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/Furthermore, the independent regulator of social housing is responsible for regulating registered providers of social housing. It considers information about any breaches of the standards it sets for housing associations, including maintenance, management and customer service. Where there is a breach, it publishes a regulatory notice or reports this in its regulatory judgements, details of which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-judgement-one-housing-group-limited--3

Housing: Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 3.9 of the report to the leadership team of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Housing options and support for secure tenants of the Walkways, Treadgold House and Bramley House in temporary accommodation, published on 25 July 2018, what representations the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has made to his Department for additional funds to implement options (i) and (ii).

Kit Malthouse: To date, Government has spent over £46 million to support recovery following the Grenfell Tower fire, and has committed an additional £34 million, which includes re-housing costs, new mental health support services, investment in the Lancaster West Estate and a new community space.   With reference solely to options (i) and (ii) in paragraph 3.9 of the 'Housing options and support for secure tenants of the Walkways, Treadgold House and Bramley House in temporary accommodation leadership report' Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has not made any representations for funds specifically to implement those options.   Following the tragedy, the Department agreed that Government funding would be provided to support those made permanently homeless by the fire, RBKC would support other affected households.   We remain in regular and frequent discussion with RBKC on potential future financial pressures arising from the Grenfell tragedy.

Sleeping Rough: Crawley

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has allocated out of the budget of the Rough Sleeping Strategy to Crawley constituency.

Nigel Adams: The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why we have recently published our Rough Sleeping Strategy, which sets out the first steps towards achieving our aim to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it altogether by 2027.We are currently finalising the design of the funding streams announced in the strategy and will announce further details in due course. We have also committed to publishing a delivery plan in the autumn which will set out how we will deliver the ambitious work set out in this strategy.

Housing: Surveys

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Answer of 20 July 2018 to Question 163756 on Housing: Surveys, when the 2016-17 End User Licence household data will be available via the UK Data Service.

James Brokenshire: The English Housing Survey 2016-17 End User Licence household data was sent to the UK Data Service on 16/07/18. Publication of the data has been delayed because the UK Data Service is undergoing a significant upgrade to its systems, which will continue into mid-September. In the meantime, potential data users are welcome to contact the English Housing Survey team (EHS@communities.gsi.gov.uk) at MHCLG to request access.

Local Government Finance: Leisure

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of Government funding for local authorities on local authority spending on sports and recreation.

Rishi Sunak: Local authorities are the single biggest investors in community sport, spending around £1 billion a year. Sport England works with a wide range of local authorities, providing expert advice and funding to sustain and increase the number of people playing sport regularly.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish either an addendum or an update to the current housing health and safety rating system operating guidance on fire safety in high rise buildings.

Kit Malthouse: The Government has committed to developing further statutory guidance for local authorities to enhance their use of existing Housing Act powers in relation to fire safety hazards associated with cladding on high-rise residential buildings. We anticipate being in a position to publish our proposals for doing this in the coming weeks.

Public Health: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason public health provision was excluded from Fair Funding Review, published by his Department on 19 December 2017.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department plans to use to calculate public health funding in relation to the roll-out of Business Rates Retention in 2020-21.

Rishi Sunak: The Government is conducting a review of the relative needs and resources of local authorities in England, with a view to setting fresh baseline funding levels in 2020-21. We are working closely with local government representatives and others to consider the drivers of local authorities’ costs, the local resources available to them to fund local services, and how we should account for these in a way that draws a more transparent and understandable link between local circumstances and resource allocations.Alongside the provisional local government finance settlement in December 2017, the Government announced its intention to work towards implementing the next phase of business rates retention reforms in 2020-21. This announcement coincided with the publication of a consultation, which set out our proposed approach to the review.Whilst the work of the review has focussed initially on the services that are currently funded through the local government finance settlement, we will consider any additional responsibilities that are devolved to local government as a result of business rates retention on a case-by-case basis. We aim to publish a further consultation later this year.

Public Telephones: Planning Permission

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has undertaken an assessment of the changes to the planning system which would be required to tackle the rise of so-called trojan phone box applications.

Kit Malthouse: We are aware of concerns expressed about the impact of a proliferation of telephone kiosks with advertising panels in some areas. This raises a number of important issues, relating to permitted development rights, advertising consents, and the powers available to Electronic Communications Code Operators, which are being considered.

Sleeping Rough

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many rough sleepers there were in each region of the UK in each year for which data is available.

Nigel Adams: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government publishes annual statistics on rough sleeping. Rough sleeping counts and estimates are single night snapshots of the number of people sleeping rough in local authority areas and are published at local authority level. The latest statistics for autumn 2017 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rough-sleeping-in-england-autumn-2017This is the eighth annual statistical release presenting rough sleeping counts and estimates following the introduction of revised guidance in September 2010.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Misuse

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the (a) planned and (b) current expenditure for drug and alcohol treatment services.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Figures on local authority expenditure on public health services, are collected on the Revenue Outturn (RO3) form. The latest figures for 2016-17 are available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2016-to-2017-individual-local-authority-data-outturnBudget estimates of local authority expenditure on public health for the financial year April 2018 to March 2019 are available fromhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2018-to-2019-budget-individual-local-authority-data

Public Lavatories

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will undertake an assessment of the provision of public toilets throughout England and Wales.

Rishi Sunak: The Government has no plans to make such an assessment. Local authorities are best placed to decide on provision of public toilets locally, to meet the needs of their local communities.

Housing: Hendon

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many new-build dwellings have been completed in the Hendon constituency since September 2017.

Kit Malthouse: Estimates of house building; new build dwellings completions for England and in each local authority district, to March quarter 2018, are shown in Live Table 253a at the following link.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-buildingThese cover new build dwellings only and should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall housing supply. The Department also publishes an annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’, which is the primary and most comprehensive measure of housing supply.These statistics are not available by parliamentary constituency.

Non-domestic Rates

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it is the Government's policy to enable local authorities to retain business rates collected.

Rishi Sunak: In 2020/21 the Government aims to increase local government’s retention of business rates from 50 per cent to 75 per cent.Increasing the level of business rates retention to 100 per cent remains the Government’s long-term ambition.That is why, this year we are operating 100 per cent business rates retention pilots in 16 areas across the country. Next year we will also pilot 75 per cent business rates retention to aid understanding of how we transition into the proposed new system in 2020/21. Moving to greater rates retention will give local authorities more control of the money they raise locally.The current 50 per cent business rates retention scheme is yielding strong results with local authorities estimating that in 2018/19 they will keep around £2.4 billion in business rates growth.

Homelessness: Death

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to ensure that all investigations into deaths of homeless people involve an assessment of whether the death could have been prevented.

Nigel Adams: The death of any rough sleeper is a tragedy. That is why we said in the Rough Sleeping Strategy we are working to ensure that Safeguarding Adult Reviews are conducted when a person who sleeps rough dies or is seriously harmed as a result of abuse or neglect, whether known or suspected, and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult. We will consider how lessons learned from these reviews will inform improvements to local systems and services.The Rough Sleeping Strategy was published on 13 August 2018. This strategy sets out our long-term vision for how all parts of Government, both centrally and at the local level, will work together to ensure that no one has to sleep rough. This vision is based around three core pillars: prevent, intervene and recover – centred on a system of rapid rehousing.

Right to Buy Scheme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much has been spent from the public purse on (a) advertising and (b) promoting the right to buy scheme in each year since 2010; and how much he plans to spend on (i) advertising and (ii) promoting that scheme in each year to 2020.

James Brokenshire: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sleeping Rough

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people who reach the point of rough sleeping.

Nigel Adams: No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why this Government has committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and ending it altogether by 2027.In order to make an immediate impact, in March this year we announced the new Rough Sleeping Initiative which has allocated £30 million this year at 83 local authorities with high levels of rough sleeping. This is funding over 500 new dedicated homelessness workers and will provide an additional 1,750 bed spaces.Last month the Government published the Rough Sleeping Strategy which, building on the work of the Rough Sleeping Initiative, sets out the initial plans to achieving the manifesto commitments. We have worked across Government, with the homelessness sector and local areas to set out our ambitious long-term vision for how both local and central government will work together, based around three core pillars: Prevention, Intervention and Recovery, with a focus on moving to a 'rapid rehousing' approach. The aims of the pillars are to prevent people from rough sleeping, intervene when individuals find themselves in this position and aid whatever recovery they need to help sustain suitable accommodation solutions.The Rough Sleeping Strategy details £100 million of investment over the next 2 years to tackle rough sleeping. Some of the main elements include an additional £45 million for the Rough Sleeping Initiative in 2019/20, up to £17 million in funding for Somewhere Safe to Stay pilots, up to £19 million to deliver a new supported lettings fund, £5 million to help local areas take action on migrants who are sleeping rough and £10 million funding for rough sleeping navigators.

Ministry of Defence

Frigates

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the production of the Type (a) 26 and (b) 31e Frigates; and what plans he to export those frigates.

Stuart Andrew: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones) and the hon. Member for Glasgow South West (Chris Stephens) on 5 September 2018 in response to Questions 167940, 167941, 167942, 167945 and 167315 and given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State for Defence, Earl Howe, to the noble Lord, Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, in the House of Lords to Question HL5772. We awarded the £3.7 billion contract to manufacture the first batch of three Type 26 Frigates in June 2017. We cut steel on the first ship, HMS Glasgow, in July 2017 and the build programme is progressing well. There has already been success in exporting the Type 26 Frigate: our international partner Australia has announced its decision to build the Hunter Class variant of the Type 26 Frigate to meet its SEA 5000 requirement. We have also supported by BAE Systems' bid for the Canadian Future Surface Combatant competition and are committed to supporting future potential export opportunities.

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 15 of his Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18, how many (a) military and (b) civilian personnel in his Department perform an administrative role.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold this information in the format requested for military personnel.The number of MOD civilian personnel within MOD Main Top Level Budgetary areas identified as administrative support as at 1 April 2018 was 4,703. This does not include Trading Fund organisations, the Defence Equipment and Support Bespoke Trading Entity, locally engaged civilians, and Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel.

European Fighter Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 16 of his Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18, what the timetable is for the completion of Project Centurion.

Stuart Andrew: Project Centurion is due to deliver transition of Attack capability from Tornado GR4 to Typhoon by 31 December 2018, ahead of Tornado GR4 reaching its out of service date of 31 March 2019.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 22 of his Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18, what the (a) 30 operations and (b) 25 countries are in which UK armed forces personnel are deployed.

Mark Lancaster: The over 30 operations referred to in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts include:BACKWELLBRANTACABRITCATANCROSSWAYSELGINFAIRFIELDHALLEXINVOKERKIPIONLITTENMANSIOMETROMODESTMONOGRAMNEWCOMBEORBITALRECOMPOSEPANAKAPERCIVALPRAISERPRESIDIUMSHADERTAILPINTANGHAMTORALTOSCATRAMALTRENTONTURUSVOGULThe countries referred to in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts include:AfghanistanBahrainBosnia and HerzegovinaColumbiaCyprusDemocratic Republic of CongoEgyptEstoniaIraqItalyJordanKenyaKingdom of Saudi ArabiaKosovoKuwaitLibyaMaliNigerNigeriaPakistanPolandSomaliaSouth SudanUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesSome operational names and locations have been excluded for operational security. Changes in operational circumstances and the strategic environment affect where UK Armed Forces personnel are deployed.

Defence: Radar

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2018 to Question 143866 on Defence: Radar, what the differences were between the procurement of the three Lockheed Martin long range air defence TPS-77 radars and the procurement of a replacement deployable long-range air defence radar in relation to compliance with EU procurement regulations.

Stuart Andrew: The TPS 77 Radars were funded by wind farm developers, who proposed them as the only globally available Air Defence Radar that had proven wind farm mitigation capabilities. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) therefore followed a Single Source Procurement process. Other radar manufacturers now claim to be able to provide this capability and the MOD is following a Competitive Procurement Process for the Deployable Radar Project. There is no difference between the two procurements in terms of compliance as both adhere to EU procurement regulations.

Chiefs of Staff

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many visits the Chief of the General Staff's briefing team undertook in each year for the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Chief of the General Staff's Briefing Team visit Army regular and reserve units to provide all ranks an overview of key issues and priorities for the Army and to conduct focus groups to gain feedback for the Army's senior leadership. The Briefing Team have conducted the following number of visits over the last five financial years (FY):FY 2018-19: 21 units visited to date.FY 2017-18: 62 units visited.FY 2016-17: 84 units visited.FY 2015-16: 74 units visits.FY 2014-15: 124 units visits.

Strike Experimentation Group

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2017 to Question 117878, what recent progress the Strike Experimentation Group has made on building and developing understanding of the Strike concept.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2017 to Question 117878, whether the first Strike Brigade is still intended to be formed by 2020; and whether that brigade will still comprise of the Household Cavalry Regiment, the Royal Dragoon Guards, 1st Battalion Scots Guards, and 3rd Battalion The Rifles.

Mark Lancaster: Strike concept development continues to progress and integrate insights from virtual and simulated training activities. Combined experimentation and knowledge exchange with our allies remains a significant part of the development process. The brigade recently conducted a live command post experiment working to a US division alongside French, German and Canadian brigades in Germany, testing multinational interoperability. Planning for 2019 exercises is currently under way.The plans for formation of the first Strike brigade remains unchanged from my answer of 11 December 2017 to question 117878.

Military Exercises

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a list of the planned exercises that the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force will participate in for the next two years.

Mark Lancaster: There are currently 199 major exercises planned to take place over the next two years by the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air force. However, unexpected events may lead to these plans being revised or changed during the years. A list of all planned exercises by the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force over the next two years is attached. 



Planned Exercises
(Word Document, 31.51 KB)

British Armed Forces Federation

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent meetings and discussions he has had with the British Armed Forces Federation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: No recent meetings or discussions with the British Armed Forces Federation have taken place.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Officer Cadet Survey 2017-18, what steps his Department is taking to improve the standard of living accommodation for officer cadets.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Improvements to the standard of living accommodation across the estate is considered one of the highest infrastructure priorities. Living accommodation across the Officer Cadet training sites is considered by the Ministry of Defence to be of good standard. In recent years, several refurbishment works have taken place and this will continue based on priority and funding availability.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Officer Cadet Survey 2017-18, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the Service Complaints Ombudsman among officer cadets.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The approach taken by each branch of the Armed Forces is set out below. In the Naval Service, Service Complaints procedures, including the role of the Service Complaints Ombudsman (SCO), are briefed to all Officer Cadets during the second week of the training programme. In the seventh week, for Officer Cadets a Divisional Officer (Lieutenant) provides training on Representations and Complaints which goes into more detail about Service Complaints and makes specific reference to the SCO. From September 2018, the Navy plan to increase the seniority of the Divisional Officer providing this training to a Lieutenant Commander. Royal Marines Officer Cadets also receive a more in-depth brief on Service Complaints in their final term. In the Army, Officer Cadets are briefed on how to raise issues and complaints through their Chain of Command (as well as other avenues, such as a Padre or welfare staff) in the very early stages of their Commissioning Course. The role of the SCO is taught to Officer Cadets in the final term of the Regular Commissioning Course, as part of their preparation for commissioning. It is a requirement that all Officer Cadets must understand the process of a Service Complaint.   In the Royal Air Force, Service Complaints awareness has been featured on the training programme for a number of years. A Service Complaints awareness brief is provided within the first two days of the Officer Cadet training course, delivered by the Equality and Diversity Advisor. This is reinforced by pamphlets distributed to cadets and further training which takes place in the second and third terms of the course.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Officer Cadet Survey 2017-18, what steps his Department is taking to increase opportunities for officer cadets to improve in order to avoid repeating their training.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The approach taken by each branch of the Armed Forces is set out below.In the Naval Service, a 'teach, coach, mentor' philosophy is applied to enable instructors to apply the full range of instructional techniques, minimising the requirement for Officer Cadets to repeat elements of their training. Where students fall short of the training requirement there will be occasions where, to avoid a student being removed from training, elements of training may need to be repeated, enabling those Officer Cadets who need extra training to progress. All elements of Officer training are subject to regular and constant internal validation feedback to actively and constantly improve delivery. This involves obtaining student feedback on what is taught and the standard of delivery. This feedback is employed to identify where improvements can be made and ensure optimum effectiveness of the delivery of training. External validation of training is also conducted by the Human Resource and Training Support Group to ensure the relevant material is being delivered in training, minimising the requirement for repetition.In the Army, first time pass rates have increased steadily over the last five years and repetition of training is now a rare occurrence among Officer Cadets. Measures to improve Officer Cadets and avoid repetition of training include improved pre-employment and induction training for permanent staff, which includes how to deliver effective feedback; briefings before each assessment on the standard expected and subsequent feedback on performance and areas for improvement. For critical assessments, Officer Cadets are given the opportunity to retake the assessment after a period of reflection.In the Royal Air Force, to avoid repeating training,Officer Cadets' development is assessed throughout the course. Cadets are counselled on their performance throughout the course and areas for development are highlighted. These are managed through a series of personalised training interventions that provide cadets with goals and focused training to achieve success.

Challenger Tanks

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve safety training and procedures for operating Challenger 2 tanks.

Stuart Andrew: Following the tragic incident at Castlemartin ranges in 2017, the Army has implemented changes to the procedures and documentation for firing the main armament of Challenger 2, and engaged with industry to adjust the main armament's mechanical infrastructure. It is also in the process of considering and implementing the recommendations from both the Defence Safety Authority's (DSA) Service Inquiry and Coroner's Inquest. The DSA's Service Inquiry can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/service-inquiry-report-into-the-challenger-2-incident-at-castlemartin-ranges-pembrokeshire-on-14-june-2017

Armed Forces: Global Positioning System

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to issue guidance to service personnel on the use of GPS-enabled devices while on operations.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence takes the security of its personnel and establishments very seriously. Direction and guidance on personal security, including GPS-enabled device use, has been issued and highlighted to personnel in awareness campaigns and briefings over recent years, and is kept under constant review. For obvious reasons we do not comment on specific security arrangements or procedures.

Army: Vehicles

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on package one of the Multi-Role Vehicle - Protected programme.

Stuart Andrew: Our current planning assumption remains that we will procure the Joint Land Tactical Vehicle to meet the Army's requirement for a future protected multi-role vehicle. Funding has been set aside for this acquisition in the Department's Equipment Plan. A final decision to proceed will not be taken until the Modernising Defence Programme has been completed and our wider plans for Armed Forces modernisation are fully mature.

Artillery

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the artillery system requirement to support the Strike brigades.

Stuart Andrew: The Army is in the process of assessing its future artillery system capability requirement for the Armoured Infantry and Strike Brigades. It has established a programme, known as Mobile Fires Platform, to refine the requirement and modernise the capability.

Type 45 Destroyers

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many days each Type 45 destroyer has spent at sea in each year since those ships came into service.

Stuart Andrew: The normal operating cycle of every ship involves them entering different readiness levels depending on their programmes and Departmental planning requirements.From records available, the number of days each Type 45 destroyer has spent at sea in each calendar year since those ships came into service up to 1 September 2018, is shown below. Unit and Year200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018DARING1531141301071001521825048148850DAUNTLESS 1391899711114055105114200DIAMOND  6228897169821102711811649DRAGON   14525110418512669565665DEFENDER238226106181106115043DUNCAN 331826718886107104

Ballistic Missile Defence

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.16 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, what progress has been made on his Department's plans to invest in the ground-based ballistic missile defence radar.

Stuart Andrew: The ground-based ballistic missile defence radar will be a first in class capability for UK Defence. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working with the Missile Defence Centre, a joint MOD/Industry organisation, to ensure a robust capability is procured.The Department has issued a request for information to industry to inform the procurement strategy for a ground-based ballistic missile defence radar system and to inform future options in accordance with standard UK Defence procurement practices.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost to the public purse of his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Mark Lancaster: Her Majesty's Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to Departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as:£412 million of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016.£286 million of additional funding for financial year (FY) 2017-18, a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 2017-18 available at the following link.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf.Over £1.5 billion of additional funding for FY 2108-19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS540) of 13 March 2018.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

Mark Lancaster: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU Exit preparations in Financial Year (FY) 2019-20. Departments will be invited to bid for FY 2019-20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence,what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a small central team who have been appointed to deal exclusively with Defence issues relating to the UK's decision to leave the EU. This team draws on a range of colleagues from across the MOD who support EU exit related work, in addition to their normal duties. Given the interactions between EU exit work and the MOD's other priorities it is not possible to provide an accurate assessment of these costs.

Persian Gulf: Type 23 Frigates

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to forward deploy a Devonport or Portsmouth-based Type 23 frigate to the Gulf.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications of the postponement of the Type 31e frigate procurement on frigate availability as a result of his decision to forward deploy a Type 23 frigate to the Gulf.

Mark Lancaster: The plan to procure a first batch of five new Type 31e Frigates has not been postponed; we want the first ship to enter service by the end of 2023. All five ships are planned to be delivered by the end of 2028.Although work continues on the forward deployment of a Type 23 Frigate to the Gulf, we do not discuss the future operations of our ships. These considerations will be unaffected by the Type 31e procurement process.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government had knowledge in advance of the military operations in Saada on 9 August 2018.

Mark Lancaster: No. The Government had no knowledge in advance of the military operations in Saada on 9 August 2018.

Army Reserve: Recruitment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) duties and (b) responsibilities have been allocated to (a) the Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command, (b) Captia, (c) the National Recruiting Centre and (d) Local Army Careers Centres in relation to Army Reserve recruitment under the Recruiting Partner Project contract with Captia.

Mark Lancaster: The Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command (ARITC), a 2-Star Command which sits under Home Command, is responsible for delivering recruitment to the Regular and Reserve Army (through the Recruiting Partnering Project contract with Capita), basic training, and some elements of initial and subsequent trade training.Capita are responsible for the delivery of the recruiting operation and its associated marketing and administration. The administration of the process includes application processing, selection, candidate travel arrangements and the underpinning software solution (Defence Recruiting System). These services are supported and assured by the Army.The National Recruitment Centre manages and facilitates the online application process for Regular and Reserve Army candidates from initial application until they are enlisted.Army Reserves are recruited through Reserve Units; however, they may choose to visit their nearest Army Careers Centre. Army Careers Centres are offices throughout the country where individuals who are considering joining the Army may visit to talk to recruiters and ask questions.

Army Reserve: Recruitment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria his Department has established to encourage an Army Reserve Candidate to consider a specialist or pinch point trade; and whether those criteria is based on (a) the candidates skills and qualifications or (b) the need and priority of the Army Reserve.

Mark Lancaster: As explained in the response my right hon. Friend the Minister for Defence People and Veterans (Mr Ellwood) gave her on 24 July 2018 to Question 164311, when candidates initiate an application to join the Army Reserves through the National Recruitment Centre, they are matched with a unit based on their location and declared role preference. The nature of Reserve service tends to mean that the location of the unit is a primary driver for our volunteers.Candidates with the relevant qualifications and experience are encouraged to think about specialist trades. While there is no priority recruiting list for the Army Reserve, candidates who have relevant skills are advised of the number of nationally-recruited specialist units. This can be particularly attractive for those who can only offer a reduced commitment as these units have a lower minimum number of Reserve Service Days. This includes units such as the Joint Cyber Unit, the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch and 77 Brigade.Many candidates prefer to join a generalist unit which offers them experiences outside their civilian life, but this would not preclude the use of their skills by the Army if required, for example on operations.

Army Reserve: Recruitment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command (a) compiles a list of Army Reserve Units and (b) prioritises units for recruitment based on (a) specialism and (b) unit requirements.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 163772 on 18 July 2018 and to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for Defence People and Veterans (Mr Ellwood) gave to Question 164313 on 24 July 2018.



Reserve Forces: Recruitment
(Word Document, 28.1 KB)

Royal Military Police: Complaints

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2018 to Question 163774 on Royal Military Police: Complaints, how many of the 89 complaints made to the RMP Professional Standards and Review Team since January 2016 have been upheld.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2018 to Question 163774 on Royal Military Police: Complaints, how many and what proportion of the 89 complaints made to the RMP Professional Standards and Review Team since January 2016 were service complaints.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: When gathering information to respond to these questions, an error has been identified in the Written Answer I gave to you on 18 July 2018 (Official Report, column 163744). The answer given stated that there had been 89 complaints made to the Royal Military Police (RMP) Professional Standards and Review Team since 1 January 2016; this total included complaints made since 1 January 2015, 67 complaints were made between 1 January 2016 and July 2018. The table below shows the status/outcome of the 67 complaints: Complaint StatusNumberUpheld in full2Not upheld16Complaints with a combination of upheld, not upheld and unproven*16No investigation (withdrawn, out of scope, or more appropriately dealt with as Service Complaints)25Ongoing8 *A complaint can be determined to be unproven if there is insufficient information to make an upheld or not upheld conclusion. Five of the complaints regarded as Special to Type Service Complaints relevant to the RMP, have been investigated by the Professional Standards and Review Team. Complaints which are more appropriately dealt with as a non Special to Type Service Complaints are not investigated by the Professional Standards and Review Team.

Royal Military Police: Complaints

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2018 to Question 163774 on Royal Military Police: Complaints, which organisation is responsible for the (a) investigation and (b) inspection of the Royal Military Police.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Royal Military Police (RMP) Professional Standards and Review Team is staffed by RMP personnel and is primarily responsible for Ministry of Defence investigations of the RMP. Where any perceived conflict of interest exists, another Service Police force can conduct the investigation. Additionally, an existing Memorandum Of Understanding with Hampshire Police allows for the RMP to request independent oversight and review on a case by case basis.The Armed Forces Act 2011 places a statutory duty on Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to inspect and report to the Secretary of State on the independence and effectiveness of investigations carried out by each Service Police force. To date, they have undertaken two inspections of the RMP; the first in 2014 inspected leadership in the RMP in relation to its investigations (published on 15 July 2015) and the second in 2017 inspected the RMPs investigations into overseas deaths (published on 29 March 2018). Both reports were positive, and are published on the HMICFRS website at the following links:https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/news/news-feed/inspection-of-the-royal-military-police/https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/inspection-royal-military-police-investigations-into-overseas-deaths/

Defence: Procurement

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of public spending on defence equipment has been allocated to equipment made in the UK in each of the last three years.

Stuart Andrew: The proportion of the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) equipment spending allocated to equipment made in the UK is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, information on the Department's expenditure with industry and other regional information is published on GOV.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-regional-expenditure-with-uk-industry-and-supported-employment-index.Additionally, total MOD equipment expenditure (not just with UK industry) can be found at the following link, but this is not broken down by country:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/defence-departmental-resources-index.

Radar: Scotland

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 11 July 2018 to Question 161188 on Radar: Scotland, what steps are being taken by his Department with the onshore wind farm industry to ensure that consented onshore wind developments in Scotland which require the implementation of a Military Radar Mitigation Scheme are brought forward into construction and operation.

Stuart Andrew: Developers are responsible for proposing Radar Mitigation Schemes (RMS) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has developed a three-phase mitigation process to assist and address their aspirations. Due to the uncertainties of unproven mitigation technologies, success cannot be guaranteed where wind farms have a proven, adverse impact upon radars, impairing their performance in safety-critical operations.To date, RMS agreements with two developers have been signed, resulting in the trial and implementation of their proposed solutions in parallel with wind farm construction. A third developer has been unable to identify a suitable mitigation solution. No other onshore developers have formally applied to the MOD for mitigation.

Radar: Scotland

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 11 July 2018 to Question 161188 on Radar: Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the potential effect on the Government's commitment to delivering subsidy free onshore wind in Scotland of the time being taken by his Department in developing radar mitigation solutions.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence regularly engages with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about wind farm developments, consents and mitigation proposals, as well as reviewing the relative challenges of mitigation (by geographic area) to inform future development initiatives.

Radar: Scotland

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 11 July 2018 to Question 162083 on Radar: Scotland, if he will (a) review the efficacy of the work of Aquila in engaging with the onshore wind farm industry and (b) take steps to ensure the timeliness of Aquila's engagements with that industry relating to the development of radar mitigation schemes.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) regularly monitors the performance of its contractors, including Aquila. To address developers' concerns and enable construction and mitigation activities to proceed in parallel, the MOD has developed a three-phase approach. Wind farm developers are not required to use Aquila for phases one (identifying potential solutions) and two (trialling) but as the MOD's supplier of Air Traffic Control services (under Project Marshall), the company must be able to operate the solution without undermining the safety of the services it is contracted to provide.Should developers decide to contract with their own competent suppliers for phases one and two, this must be agreed with the MOD to ensure radar mitigation is provided to satisfy defence requirements.

Radar: Scotland

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 11 July 2018 to Question 162083 on Radar: Scotland, if he will meet with developers to discuss the (a) time being taken by his Department in developing radar mitigation solutions and (b) associated investment risks and impacts incurred by developers and investors as a result of that time being taken.

Stuart Andrew: There has been proactive engagement between the Ministry of Defence (MOD), wind farm developers, other Government Departments, the Scottish Government and trade bodies. However, to date, there is no proven solution to mitigate the effects of wind farms on military Air Traffic Control (ATC) radar.The MOD has, therefore, implemented temporary concessions to minimise, where possible, delays for developers to successfully deliver Radar Mitigation Schemes.The MOD must primarily assure the safety of its operations and is committed to a programme of replacing ATC equipment under Project Marshall. Whilst there may be some flexibility in the replacement schedule, the Marshall equipment programme has some operational constraints that must be preserved.The MOD and Aquila, the Project Marshall prime contractor, may not therefore be able to accommodate the time constraints sought by a specific wind farm developer.

Defence: UK Relations with EU

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to respond to the Defence Committee's 6th Report of Session 2017-19 entitled The Government's Proposals for Future Security Partnership with the European Union, which was published on 8 June 2018.

Gavin Williamson: The Government Response was sent to the Defence Committee on 6 September 2018.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pensions

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has developed proposals for the free movement of capital with in relation to pensions for (a) UK citizens that  have accrued pensions in the European Union and (b) for non-UK EU citizens that have accrued pensions in the UK after the UK has left the EU; and will she make a statement.

Guy Opperman: UK pensions legislation already ensures that any member of a UK pension scheme has a statutory right to transfer their pension, which includes the option to transfer to any overseas pension scheme where that scheme meets certain requirements. Equally, UK pensions legislation does not prohibit a UK pension scheme from receiving capital from overseas pension schemes. The UK and EU have already agreed the terms of an implementation period lasting until the end of 2020. During this implementation period, access to one another’s markets will remain unchanged and on the current terms, ensuring continuity for consumers and businesses. Under any other scenario to the rights of members of UK pension schemes to transfer their pension, will not be affected. Whether they are a UK citizen or a non-UK EU citizen, they will continue to be able to transfer their pensions to overseas pension schemes. Equally, UK pension schemes will continue to be able to receive transfers from overseas pension schemes.

Universal Credit

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will list all the changes made to universal credit since it was introduced.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit operates a ‘test and learn’ strategy aimed at ensuring continuous improvement, whilst the Universal Credit Full Service is updated every two weeks to improve and enhance its functionality. In the last year, changes like those announced in the Autumn Budget have: abolished waiting days; introduced 100% advances and extended the repayment period from 6 months to 12 months; and introduced Freephone telephone numbers. We have listened to feedback from claimants and stakeholders, and will continue to make changes to ensure the Full Service can meet their needs. The Universal Credit Managed Migration and Transitional Protection Regulations we will be placing before Parliament this Autumn propose further protections for claimants who are moving, or have moved onto Universal Credit.

Employment and Support Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants undergoing a Work Capability Assessment for employment and support allowance have (a) failed their assessment and (b) failed their assessment and subsequently moved on to universal credit in each of the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

Sarah Newton: In response to part (a) this information can be found in the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-june-2018The information requested for part (b) is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to tackle the economic effect on claimants of universal credit that are subject to deductions taken to repay debt.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to prevent excessive deductions being taken from universal credit payments to repay debts.

Alok Sharma: The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. The maximum rate of deductions will not normally exceed an amount equal to 40% of the Universal Credit standard allowance. However, where it is in the best interest of vulnerable claimants, to protect them from being made homeless or having their fuel disconnected, deductions in excess of the 40% standard allowance may be applied. This is only for ‘last resort’ third party deductions for arrears of service charges, rent, gas and electricity. When we take deductions for gas and electricity arrears, we will also take them for the on-going monthly cost of these utilities. Claimants’ circumstances are always taken into account when applying debt repayment thresholds and to avoid undue hardship. If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions, where it relates to benefit debt, a social fund loan or rent arrears, they can request that a reduction be considered. Similarly, if a claimant is having difficulty repaying a benefit overpayment, they can request a reconsideration of the amount that is being taken. Any reduction will be based on the individual circumstances of the claimant rather than the amount of the overpayment, which helps to ensure that a sustainable repayment plan based on affordability is put in place.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help prevent income volatility among universal claimants in employment whose monthly assessment periods do not correlate with their pattern of reported earnings.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps is she taking to reduce the volatility of income received by claimants of universal credit as a result of inaccurate earnings data generated by Real Time Information.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to reduce the time taken for payments of universal credit to claimants as a result of universal credit payment fluctuations in relation to monthly pay arrangements.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support households facing financial difficulties as a result of universal credit payment fluctuations because of monthly pay arrangements.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to introduce (a) modifications and (b) improvements to the administration of universal credit in relation to monthly pay arrangements for claimants who are not paid on the same date in each month.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit has been designed to take earnings into account in a way that is fair and transparent. The assessment period and payment structure of Universal Credit is crucial in creating and maintaining the strong work incentives at the heart of Universal Credit and provides the flexibility to adjust when claimants move in and out of work regularly. DWP has produced guidance to help ensure claimants, staff and representatives are aware of the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles: this is available online https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-different-earning-patterns-and-your-payments/universal-credit-different-earning-patterns-and-your-payments-payment-cycles. Where people have potential income volatility because of their payment cycles, they can discuss the implications of this with their case managers and work coaches and can be referred to Personal Budgeting Support to help them manage their budgeting. The Real Time Information (RTI) system is working well with over 99% of individual employment records now being reported in real time. In April 2018 over a million separate RTI notifications were used in Universal Credit awards. Of those, the DWP RTI Dispute Team received under 3000 disputed earnings referrals – a query rate of less than 0.3%. Many of these queries are resolved by an explanation of how Universal Credit works. We continue to work with employers to ensure that they use the most appropriate payment practices and comply with RTI guidelines to prevent issues from occurring.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing an automatic interim payment for claimants that do not receive universal credit payments on time.

Alok Sharma: The Department has no plans to implement a system of interim payments. We have a well-established system of advance payments which are available to all Universal Credit claimants who need them as part of a package of support to manage their transition to Universal Credit. It is also important to consider that around 80 per cent of new claims are paid in full and on time. In many cases where full payment is not made on time, it is due to unresolved issues such as: claimants not accepting their Claimant Commitment or passing identity checks, or having outstanding verification issues, such as housing costs and self-employed earnings. We have taken steps to improve verification processes. For example, we have listened to feedback and built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify their housing costs, for example through the landlord portal. Whilst their verification is on-going, many claimants receive a part payment for those elements of the claim that have been resolved. We published an ad hoc statistical release on 9 July which showed, for new claims due a payment in February 2018, 95% were paid in full within five weeks of the payment due date: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/length-of-payment-delays-for-new-claims-to-universal-credit.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, from what point her Department measures the waiting time for first payment of a claim for universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The Department measures the waiting time for a first payment of a Universal Credit claim from the payment due date of the first assessment period. The payment due date is one week after the assessment period end date.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to assist claimants of universal credit claimants submit evidence of their (a) childcare and (b) housing costs.

Alok Sharma: Since February 2018, Universal Credit claimants have been able to upload digital copies of their childcare cost receipts or invoices through their online Universal Credit account. We also offer extra support to enable parents to pay upfront childcare costs or deposits; for example, claimants may be eligible to receive an advance of their future Universal Credit entitlement, which is interest free. In 2017 we started rolling out a ‘landlord portal’ to social landlords to make it easier and quicker to verify people’s housing costs. We have also listened to feedback and built processes into the system to improve verification for tenants in the private rented sector.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's policy is on the roll-out of the Landlord Portal for universal credit; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: Following the successful pilot of the Landlord Portal Service, DWP is enrolling more landlords in stages, in tandem with the expansion of Universal Credit Full Service. Priority has been placed on enrolling the largest landlords that are eligible where possible in order to maximise the number of UC claimants that can be handled via the portal. When we look at enrolling landlords, we will consider things such as whether Universal Credit has rolled out in their area, the size of the landlord, and the properties that they own. We will then have discussions with landlords that are suitable for enrolling onto the portal. As of last month more than 70% of rent verifications in the social rented housing sector were made via the landlord portal. Additionally, whilst there is no formal process for landlords to bid for the portal, interested landlords can liaise with their local Universal Credit Partnership Team regarding potential enrolment. The list of landlords enrolled on the Landlord Portal is available in the House of Commons library at the following link:http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-0635/Universal_Credit_Landlord_Portal_-_Updated.pdf

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support her Department provides to claimants of universal credit for (a) travelling to job interviews; (b) clothing for job interviews; (c) travelling to a new job in the first few weeks of employment; (d) clothing and lunch in the first few weeks of employment and (e) other costs incurred while seeking work.

Alok Sharma: The Flexible Support Fund (FSF) is available to provide financial assistance to claimants to support them as they move into work. It is a discretionary fund and awards are non-repayable.A FSF award is offered as a means of removing barriers both in terms of finding and retaining employment as well as customer up-skilling. It can cover a variety of potential barriers such as; travel, childcare, clothing and training. The funding, therefore, is tailored to the individuals needs, increasing their chances in gaining a positive outcome.In addition to this, budgeting advances are available to claimants and provide valuable access to interest free payments for one-off expenses that may arise.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants have incurred a Civil Penalty fine for overpayment of benefits since the 1 October 2012; and how many of those fines have been overturned at mandatory (a) reconsideration or (b) appeal stage.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to preventing and deterring fraud and error by benefit claimants. It is also committed to the detection and investigation of benefit fraud and to the appropriate use of available penalties.We make it clear to claimants that they have a responsibility to provide accurate and timely information about their claims. Civil Penalties were introduced in October 2012 and may be imposed by both DWP and Local Authorities for incidents of claimant error only. This is where an individual incurs a recoverable overpayment as a result of failing to provide accurate information as part of their benefit claim or in connection with an award of benefit, and have not taken reasonable steps to correct the error.The table below provides data on the number of Civil Penalties issued and the number overturned following a Mandatory Reconsideration.YearCivil Penalties IssuedOverturned at Mandatory Reconsideration2012/1317,5471252013/1483,3691,8442014/1581,7554,7962015/1682,6912,6722016/1796,7422,0482017/18104,8701,3572018/19 28,568360 Unfortunately information on the number of Civil Penalties overturned on appeal is not available as it is not possible to isolate this data from benefit appeal outcomes.

Personal Independence Payment

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are targets or guidance on the number of personal independence payments (a) claims and (b) appeals that should be rejected.

Sarah Newton: The department’s overarching goal is to ensure that those entitled to Personal Independence Payment receive it. Accordingly there are no targets or guidance linked to rejections. Every benefit claim and appeal is considered on its merits, and decisions are made based on the available evidence and the legislation according to which such decisions are made.

Universal Credit: Disability

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what reasonable adaptations are available for people with disabilities to apply for universal credit online.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data modelling his Department has undertaken to estimate the number of claimants of universal credit with a disability that will require reasonable adjustments to access that benefit.

Alok Sharma: We are committed to providing personalised support for all claimants, including vulnerable groups. Where our claimants require assistance to access our services and information, we make reasonable adjustments to meet their individual needs. This includes communicating with claimants in a variety of different formats such as braille, audio, large print, through third party interpreters or by arranging for a member of staff to visit the customer in their home. Face to face and telephony support is in place for those vulnerable claimants who cannot self-serve online; the Universal Credit telephone helpline is now a free phone number. In certain circumstances, where a claimant is unable to manage their own affairs, an appointee can act on their behalf, taking responsibility for making and maintaining any benefit claim. Universal Support provides Universal Credit claimants with additional help to use a computer to make or maintain their claim (Assisted Digital Support), help in managing their monthly Universal Credit payment and possible advice on their finances (Personal Budgeting Support).

Personal Independence Payment: Scotland

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to introduce the video recording of assessments for personal independence payments in Scotland.

Sarah Newton: As part of our commitment to improve the Personal Independence Payment assessment process, we are progressing options to video record PIP face to face assessments across Great Britain. Following comprehensive work over the summer, we are designing a live testing pilot, due to begin in England later this year. The pilot will inform any full wider roll out decisions, which will be discussed with the Scottish Government.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time is for the Independent Case Examiner to (a) allocate and (b) complete a complaint about the changes to the state pension age.

Guy Opperman: At the end of August 2018, the average time taken to: (a) allocate a complaint about changes to stage pension age to an investigation case manager for examination was 49 weeks; (b) to complete an investigation into this group of complaints was 9 weeks, from the point of allocation to an investigation case manager.

Universal Credit

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 July 2018 to Question 166475 on Universal Credit; whether her Department holds data on the number of enquiries received from universal credit (a) applicants and (b) claimants  in relation to qualifying for a payment on the universal credit telephone helpline in each of the last 12 months.

Alok Sharma: This information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 July 2018 to Question 166475 on Universal Credit; whether her Department holds data on the number of enquiries received from universal credit (a) applicants and (b) claimants in relation to qualifying for a payment through the online journal system in each of the last 12 months.

Alok Sharma: This information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the the report Rough Justice, published by the Child Poverty Action Group on 6 August 2018, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the recommendations on a monthly assessment of income.

Alok Sharma: We are listening to stakeholders about payment cycles, and we will consider this important report carefully

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average processing time has been for mandatory reconsiderations for (a) employment support allowance and (b) personal independence payment in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: Average clearance times for ESA-WCA Mandatory Reconsiderations are published in Table 16 in the statistical release “ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: June 2018”, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-june-2018 During the mandatory reconsideration period claimants can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, or Universal Credit where eligible. Following mandatory reconsideration ESA can usually be paid at the assessment phase rate pending an appeal hearing. Should the decision be revised, we will backdate the payment to cover the mandatory reconsideration period. Information on MR clearance times for PIP are not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Domestic Violence

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of easements in benefit conditionality for claimants of universal credit experiencing domestic abuse.

Justin Tomlinson: No assessment has been made by the Department.Universal Credit allows Work Coaches to tailor conditionality, setting requirements based on what is reasonable in the individual’s circumstances. Where a claimant is experiencing domestic abuse, in discussion with the Work Coach, requirements can be tailored and in some circumstances switched off for an agreed period of time.There are circumstances when a claimant’s work search and availability requirements must be switched off for an agreed period of time, and other work-related requirements can be lifted too where appropriate. This includes where the claimant has suffered domestic violence and abuse, or periods where a child in their care is suffering distress due to experiencing or witnessing violence or abuse.

Housing Associations: Rents

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the payments of rent to Housing Associations in cases where alternative payment arrangements are in place are regular and without delay.

Justin Tomlinson: Requests for Managed Payments to Landlords (MPTLs) are dealt with as a priority, and the majority of MPTL cases are processed within the assessment period in which they are received. The processing time of these requests is also regularly monitored. We are currently rolling out the Landlord Portal and Trusted Partner status. Trusted Partner status allows social landlords to apply for a MPTL via the portal with the application accepted without challenge. Social landlords not on the portal can request MPTL from the start of the claim when completing the housing verification form. We have listened to concerns from Social landlords about the payment process for Alternative Payment Arrangements (APAs) which are currently paid on a four weekly basis using the Third Party Payment system. We are working to address the issues this causes and developing a strategic solution. This is a priority for us and we understand the importance of a new payment system for the landlords who rely on it.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Universal Credit sanctions made to couples which are a result of only one member of a couple not meeting their claimant commitment.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Where a couple claim Universal Credit reasonable and achievable conditionality requirements are agreed between the claimants and the work coach. The consequences of not meeting the requirements set out in the claimant commitment are fully explained to all claimants to ensure that they understand that this may result in a sanction.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appeals have been made on the outcome of work capability assessments in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those appeals were successful.

Sarah Newton: Information on appeal outcomes for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Fit for Work decisions in initial assessment are provided in Table 3 in the statistical release “ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: June 2018”, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-june-2018 Table 17 of the same publication provides experimental cohort statistics for initial and repeat ESA Work Capability Assessments (WCA) assessments including the number of appeals completed and their outcome. Statistics on Universal Credit (UC) WCA appeals are not available.

Employment and Support Allowance: Brighton

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 12 October 2011 to Question 72238, on Employment and Support Allowance: Brighton, if he will update tables 1 and 2 with figures for the most recent period available.

Sarah Newton: Information on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claims where claimants have been assessed to be fit for work across geographical areas is published and can be found at.https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html DWP statisticians are currently developing the ESA-Work Capability Assessment (WCA) National Statistics to include appeals information by geographical areas. When this information is considered accurate and fit for purpose we will preannounce on the ESA-WCA collection page:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment

Universal Credit

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is taking into account the experiences of recipients of universal credit for formulating future policy.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit has a comprehensive evaluation framework which sets out the strategy for all evaluation including analysis of the claimant experience and how evaluation is used to formulate future policy:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-evaluation-framework-2016Since publication of the framework the Department has continued to build evidence on the experiences of claimants on Universal Credit, through a number of pieces of research and evaluation. For example, the Universal Credit Full Service Claimant Survey published in June 2018 explored areas such as claimants’ experiences of registering a claim and understanding of Universal Credit, their job search activity and attitudes to work, and their experiences of budgeting and sanctioning:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-full-service-claimant-surveySimilarly, the Universal Credit Test and Learn Evaluation: Families, published in September 2017, consisted of qualitative and quantitative research into the experience of families in order to provide timely and operationally relevant evidence to support the continual improvement and further rollout of Universal Credit. And to provide early evidence on whether the policy intent is understood and is being met, and on whether labour market behaviours (and outcomes) are affected:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-test-and-learn-evaluation-families

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many incidents of benefit fraud have been identified where monies were claimed in the name of a deceased person in the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson: The specific data requested is not available. Incidents of this type are marked as identity fraud but are not recorded separately.The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is constantly working to improve our systems to reduce fraud. To reduce this particular type of fraud, DWP receives automatic notifications of deceased individuals from the three General Register Offices, England & Wales and Scotland, on a daily basis, and Northern Ireland on a weekly basis.DWP undertakes a rigorous matching process against the updates received from the General Register Offices to ensure that DWP Customer Information System records are annotated with the date of death within 24 hours of the General Register Office notification being received.DWP staff can also input death data, if notified directly, as long as it is supported by appropriate documentation; i.e. a death certificate. This is updated in real time to the Customer Information System. Once notified of a death the Customer Information System account is marked to protect customer details from identity fraud and to ensure that the account remains secure.

Employment: Disability

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what analysis has his Department has conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of the European Social Fund in supporting disabled people into work.

Alok Sharma: DWP is committed to evaluating the impact of the European Social Fund (ESF) 2014-2020 programme in England. Evaluating ESF is also a requirement of the European Commission. A key aim of the evaluation will be to assess the impact and effectiveness of ESF on the employability and employment outcomes of ESF participants who are furthest from the labour market, including disabled people and other groups that face disadvantage in the labour market. In July 2018 DWP published a scoping study* which set out how we plan to do this. As part of our evaluation we are also running a survey of ESF leavers, to capture their experiences and outcomes of the support they have received. The evaluation is planned for 2019 and we will publish the full results on GOV.UK in 2020. ESF is a devolved matter for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. * See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-social-fund-impact-evaluation-research-design-and-scoping-study

Employment: Disability

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent meetings (a) she, (b) Ministers in her Department and (c) officials in her Department have held with organisations that deliver disability employment projects funded by the European Social Fund.

Alok Sharma: The European Social Fund (ESF) 2014-2020 Programme naturally supports the disability employment demographic. From the DWP ministerial team, Sarah Newton, Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work, has had several meetings with Work and Health Programme providers during Summer recess, and these providers have secured ESF funding for different employment programmes. Both the ESF England Managing Authority and DWP Co-financing Organisation (CFO) are situated within DWP. DWP CFO holds regular meetings with its suppliers delivering contracts for DWP ESF funded provision as part of performance management activities. They also meet with key stakeholders involved in the provision. ESF is a devolved matter for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Sharing Economy: Social Security Benefits and Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people working in the gig economy who are in receipt of (a) social security benefits and (b) tax credits.

Alok Sharma: No estimate has been made of the number of people working in the gig economy who are in receipt of (a) social security benefits and (b) tax credits.

Employment and Support Allowance

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedures her Department has put in place for a submission of a Permitted Work 1 form by a disabled benefit claimant in the Support Group of Employment and Support Allowance to result in the issue of an ESA50 form and a call up for a Work Capability Assessment.

Sarah Newton: The permitted work rules are intended to provide encouragement and help to enable people to make a gradual move into full-time work. Anyone claiming Employment and Support Allowance can do permitted work for fewer than 16 hours per week and earn up to £125.50 per week, for an indefinite period, without it affecting their benefit entitlement. There is no procedure in place which automatically links a request for permitted work to a Work Capability Assessment referral.

Personal Independence Payment: Scotland

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of reassessing the eligibility of people applying for personal independence payments in Scotland.

Sarah Newton: I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave to his previous question UIN 160814

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff have been assigned to the office of the Independent Case Examiner to deal with complaints raised by women affected by measures taken to equalise the state pension age.

Guy Opperman: The Independent Case Examiner’s Office has assigned three Investigation Case Managers to examine this group of complaints.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints submitted to the Independent Case Examiner relating to women affected by measures taken to equalise the state pension age have been upheld; and what proportion of the total number of complaints received by that office that number represents.

Guy Opperman: At the end of August 2018, the Independent Case Examiner’s Office had accepted 2,683 complaints from women affected by measures taken to equalise state pension age and concluded 151 investigations into this group of complaints, none of which were upheld on the main element of complaint.

UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions, what the timeframe is for the publication of the Government's response to the report, Concluding observations on the initial report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities report published in October 2017.

Sarah Newton: This Government’s vision for disabled people is to create a society that works for everyone, where all can participate fully, and be included. This vision aligns with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Convention), which protects and promotes the rights of disabled people. I tabled a Written Statement (HCWS938) on 6 September 2018, providing an update on the UK’s follow-up response to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-09-06/HCWS938 The response has been placed in the House Library (DEP2018-0871):https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2018-09-06&td=2018-09-06&search_term=Department+for+Work+and+Pensions&itemId=119004#toggle-871 The response has been published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-peoples-rights-information-following-the-uks-first-periodic-review

Universal Credit: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of days that claimants for universal credit in Ellesmere Port and Neston have been sanctioned for missing appointments in the last twelve months was.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Access to Work Programme

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date he approved the 2018-19 budget for the Access to Work programme.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 10 September 2018



The Access to Work programme is demand led so the eventual expenditure incurred in 2018-19 will be driven by the demand experienced during the year.

Department for Work and Pensions: Public Appointments

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the socio-economic background of people appointed to senior positions in her Department in the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson: Currently DWP does not routinely capture Socio-Economic Background (SEB) information as part of Departmental workforce data. Following the release of the official SEB measures produced by the Cabinet Office in June 2018, we are considering our approach to gathering baseline SEB data. In addition, from 2019 DWP will be collecting SEB information via the annual Civil Service People Survey.

Occupational Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of employers who have been identified as not providing a workplace pension scheme.

Guy Opperman: The vast majority of employers are meeting their responsibilities under automatic enrolment, consistent with the legal framework established under the Pensions Act 2008. Where employers fail to comply with the law however, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has a full range of powers to ensure workers get the pensions they are due. TPR publishes a quarterly bulletin on automatic enrolment compliance and enforcement activities on its website, the latest update can be found here: http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/compliance-and-enforcement-quarterly-bulletin-april-to-june-2018.pdf

Self-employed: Pensions

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of self-employed people participating in a private pension scheme.

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps her Department has taken to encourage self-employed individuals to participate in a private pension scheme.

Guy Opperman: As part of its review of automatic enrolment, published in December 2017, the Government looked at the position of the self-employed and private pension saving. The review established that the 4.8 million people who are self-employed in the UK are a hugely varied population with different income and savings needs for their retirement. Overall, participation rates for the self-employed have been on the decline in recent years, falling from 31 per cent in 2006/7 to 14 per cent in 2016/17. While pension participation rates have fallen for the self-employed, analysis has shown that the self-employed have, on average, broadly comparable levels of total assets to employees’ (PPI report on policies for increasing long-term saving of the self-employed). However, analysis has shown the distribution of assets to be different for employees compared to the self-employed – employees tend to have a higher level of private pension wealth compared to the self-employed and the self-employed tend to have higher levels of property wealth relative to employees. The review found that there is currently no single or simple and straightforward mechanism to bring self-employed people into workplace pension saving. Nor is there any consensus or evidence about the best approach to increasing pension saving among this group. We are committed to work towards implementing our manifesto commitment to improve retirement savings among the self-employed by testing targeted interventions to understand what works in practice. We will provide more information about the trial areas later this year, following our feasibility work.

Pensions

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the progress of the delivery of the Pension Dashboard.

Guy Opperman: On Tuesday 4 September 2018, I published a written statement providing an update on pensions including the Pensions Dashboard. This statement can be found here: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-09-04/HCWS933/An industry-led Dashboard, facilitated by Government, will harness the best of industry innovation. We will continue to engage with industry, consumer groups and other stakeholders on this model and Government will protect pension savers and personal information by legislating where necessary. We will shortly report on the findings of the Feasibility Study.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people (a) have received support through the Youth Obligation and (b) are currently participating in that programme.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 1 May 2018 to 138342 and 138346

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to publish data on the outcomes for those receiving support through the Youth Obligation; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not currently readily available, however the Department does monitor requests we receive for new statistics and consider whether we can produce and release analysis that will helpfully inform public debate. The Department is therefore looking at this issue with a view to seeing what statistics could be produced on a regular basis.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people who have received support through the Youth Obligation have subsequently gone on to an apprenticeship.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 May 2018 (138342). It is not possible to say how many young people who have started their Youth Obligation Support Programme journey have subsequently gone on to an apprenticeship without checking individual records, which would incur disproportionate cost. However, the latest statistics published by the Department for Education show 96,400 apprenticeship program starts from 19-24 year olds between August 2017 and May 2018.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that claimants do not lose their financial support if they are unable to make a claim for Universal Credit in time during managed migration.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report, Rolling out Universal Credit, published by the National Audit Office on 15 June 2018, how much her Department has paid in compensation to local authorities for additional costs incurred in relation to the implementation and wider impact of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment: Disability

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of the disability employment gap; and what information her Department holds on the disability employment gap by (a) condition and (b) type of disability.

Sarah Newton: Evidence shows that the disability employment gap is narrowing, although we are determined to see further improvements, so that everyone who can work is given the right support and opportunities to do so. Table 1 shows the gap in employment rates between working age disabled and non-disabled people, based on the estimates published by ONS on the website at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/labourmarketstatusofdisabledpeoplea08  Table 1: Employment rates for disabled and non-disabled people aged 16-64, Q2 2013 – Q2 2017 Disabled employment rate (%)Non-disabled employment rate (%)Gap (percentage points)201343.676.833.1201444.978.433.5201545.979.233.3201647.980.132.2201749.280.631.3 Source: Labour Force Survey  Notes:Estimates relate to quarter 2 (April-June) each year.Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1 percentage point. Components may not sum exactly to totals due to rounding.Estimates exclude a small number of respondents who did not report whether or not they were disabled.Data is subject to sampling variation and is not seasonally adjusted.Due to an apparent discontinuity, ONS has applied health warnings to estimates for periods after Q2 (April to June) 2017. We are awaiting further advice from ONS on how these more recent figures can be used in future.Table 2 shows how employment rates for disabled people with different health conditions or broad types of disability compare to that of non-disabled people. Table 2: Employment rate of disabled people by health condition, Q2 (April to June) 2017 Disabled employment rate (%)Total number of people  (thousands)Problems or disabilities (including arthritis or rheumatism) connected with arms or hands53.7458Problems or disabilities (including arthritis or rheumatism) connected with legs or feet56.5765Problems or disabilities (including arthritis or rheumatism) connected with back or neck56.41,036Difficulty in seeing54.985Difficulty in hearing62.365Speech impediment--Severe disfigurements, skin conditions, allergies64.082Chest or breathing problems, asthma, bronchitis54.4433Heart, blood pressure or blood circulation problems49.1412Stomach, liver kidney or digestive problems60.3361Diabetes55.0259Depression, bad nerves or anxiety46.31,068Epilepsy28.092Severe or specific learning difficulties (mental handicap)16.8184Mental illness, or suffer from phobia, panics or other nervous disorders27.1476Progressive illness not included elsewhere (e.g. cancer, multiple sclerosis, symptomatic HIV, Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy)37.7416Other health problems or disabilities52.5810 Any mental health main condition40.31,544Any musculoskeletal main condition55.92,259Any mental health main condition or musculoskeletal main condition49.63,803 Total disabled49.27,097Total non-disabled80.633,792 Source: Labour Force Survey  Notes:Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1 percentage point. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000.Data is subject to sampling variation and is not seasonally adjusted.Precision of statistics is limited by small sample sizes. Estimates based on fewer than 10,000 people (weighted) are not shown and are denoted ‘-‘.The total for all disabled people is slightly higher than the sum of the number of health conditions due to some respondents not reporting their specific health condition(s).Those with any mental health condition are considered to be those who reported having 'depression, bad nerves or anxiety' or 'mental illness, or suffer phobia, panics, or other nervous disorders'.Those with any musculoskeletal condition are considered to be those who reported having 'problems or disabilities (including arthritis or rheumatism) connected with arms or hands', 'problems or disabilities (including arthritis or rheumatism) connected with back or neck' or 'problems or disabilities (including arthritis or rheumatism) connected with legs or feet'.

Universal Credit

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report, Rolling out Universal Credit, published by the National Audit Office on 15 June 2018, what data her Department collects on the additional cost incurred by local authorities in relation to the implementation of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment: Disability

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to encourage (a) large employers and (b) SME employers to recruit disabled employees.

Sarah Newton: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children: Maintenance

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme computer system to process in a timely manner service requests for (a) a new child maintenance scheme claim, (b) a change of circumstances, (c) a variation request, (d) chasing arrears, and (e) enforcement action.

Justin Tomlinson: The 2012 Child Maintenance System (CMS2012) provides support for the full range of child maintenance administrative processes including new applications, case maintenance and enforcement. A Service Improvement Programme was established in April 2018, to optimise the performance and stability of the system. Significant improvements have already been implemented through both hardware and software upgrades. These changes have already resulted in quicker response times for users and compared with the period June 2017 to September 2017, the average response time of the core case management system has reduced by over 50%. We are continually working with the system’s users to make further improvements.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on the efficient functioning of the UK food sector of aligning manufacturing and farming but not services in that sector.

George Eustice: The Future Partnership White Paper proposes a free trade area for goods, including agri-food, underpinned by a common rulebook. The UK will make an upfront choice to commit, by treaty, to ongoing harmonisation with the EU rules on goods and agri-food that are necessary to provide frictionless trade at the border.   Avoiding a hard border and ensuring the greatest possible tariff-free and frictionless trade of agri-food products between the UK and EU is a key priority of this government. Our proposal for a common rule book would negate the need to conduct additional regulatory checks at the border whilst still ensuring our high standards for animal and plant health and welfare.   The arrangements proposed in the Future Partnership White Paper will ensure that service suppliers and investors are able to operate in a broad number of sectors without encountering unjustified barriers or discrimination. There would be new arrangements for services that would provide important flexibility for the UK’s service based economy.

Food: Imports

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the viability of just-in-time deliveries from the EU to major food retailers in the UK in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

George Eustice: We want our future relationship with the EU to be a deep and special partnership, taking in both economic and security cooperation. We are confident that this is in the interests of both sides, so we approach negotiations anticipating success. We do not want or expect a no deal outcome.   The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry on food supply chain issues and we will be using these to support preparations for leaving the EU. Consumers will continue to have access to a range of different products.   Defra has been working closely with other Government departments to ensure three key objectives for the border are delivered when we leave the EU: maintaining security, facilitating the flow of goods and people and revenue protection.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total cost to the public purse for his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

George Eustice: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for preparations for leaving the EU so far. This breaks down as:   £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286m of additional funding for 2017/18, a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 2017/18:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf. Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 2018/19, a full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

George Eustice: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for preparations for leaving the EU in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: We do not account for costs in a way that provides a record of the cost of the additional staff required to support Defra’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU.

Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill (Draft)

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill which closed on 31 Jan 2018.

George Eustice: The summary of consultation responses on the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill, including the Government's next steps, was published on 7 August 2018 at the following link:   https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-animal-welfare-sentencing-and-recognition-of-sentience-bill-2017

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Regulation

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which body is planned to enforce regulations governing the release of F-gases after the UK has left the EU; and whether the Government plans for there to be any role for the proposed new environmental watchdog in such enforcement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In England, the Environment Agency will continue to enforce the requirements of the F-Gas regulations after the UK has left the EU.   The proposed new body is not intended to be a delivery body responsible for the operational implementation and enforcement of individual regulations.

Whales: Conservation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the policy of the Icelandic government to permit the continued whaling of endangered Fin whales on the long-term survival of that species; if he will raise that policy and its effect on marine biodiversity with his Icelandic counterpart; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The UK Government’s position on whaling is clear – we remain strongly opposed to all commercial whaling with no exceptions. We raise our opposition with whaling nations at every appropriate opportunity, including at the biennial meetings of the International Whaling Commission (most recently in September 2018) and through coordinated efforts with other likeminded countries. Furthermore, during his visit to Iceland in August 2017 the Secretary of State raised the UK's strong opposition to their whaling with the Icelandic Prime Minister.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to make changes to the Rural Payments Agency as a result of the recent summer dry weather to ensure that support payments are paid in a timely manner.

George Eustice: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is fully focussed on getting Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) 2018 payments issued promptly from the opening of the payment window in December. In addition we are reviewing options, such as bringing forward bridging payments, for those BPS claimants who have not received their BPS 2018 payments by the end of December.

Agriculture: Weather

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the merits of the approach taken by the devolved administrations in supporting farmers and food producers during this summer’s dry weather.

George Eustice: As agricultural policy in the UK is devolved, it is for each administration to decide its approach and what measures it should adopt according to its evaluation of the situation which pertains to its area. Accordingly, it would not be appropriate for DEFRA to comment on the approach which the devolved administrations have taken.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with the Rural Payments Agency to ensure that support payments to farmers are paid in a timely manner.

George Eustice: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is fully focussed on getting Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) 2018 payments issued promptly from the opening of the payment window in December. In addition we are reviewing options, such as bringing forward bridging payments, for those BPS claimants who have not received their BPS 2018 payments by the end of December.

Agriculture: Vacancies

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the level of labour shortages in the farming sector.

George Eustice: Defra continue to monitor the latest data and work closely with industry to understand trends in labour demand and supply. The Office for National Statistics estimates that around 29,000 people make up the permanent agricultural workforce, with Defra estimating a further 67,000 seasonal workers. Industry sets this figure at 80,000 - the majority of which are EU migrant workers. Defra’s best estimate of seasonal labour shortages, using both Defra’s June agricultural survey and the National Farming Union’s survey of labour providers, is that in June 2016 there was a shortfall of 3,231 seasonal workers, and in June 2017; a shortfall of 7,676. A new pilot scheme in 2019 will enable non-EEA migrant workers to come to the UK to undertake seasonal employment in the horticultural sector.

Home Office

Immigrants: Commonwealth

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who arrived in the UK from Commonwealth Countries before 1971 have been deported, removed, or left the country through the Assisted Voluntary Departure Service.

Caroline Nokes: The Department has been carrying out a review of all cases of Caribbean Commonwealth nationality, born before 1 January 1973, who have been removed and/or detained by the Home Office since 2002 (when the Casework Information Database (CID) was available across the immigration system) and sought to identify any individuals where there was an indication in the record that the individual could have been in the UK before 1973.The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee on 21st August to provide an update on this work. A copy of this letter has been deposited in the House Library.This work is ongoing and the Home Secretary has committed to regularly updating the Home Affairs Select Committee on progress

Immigrants: Commonwealth

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2018 to Question 121792, on Immigrants: Commonwealth, if she will publish the number of Commonwealth citizens legally residing in the UK who have been (a) deported and (b) detained in error by her Department in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The Department has been carrying out a review of all cases of Caribbean Commonwealth nationality, born before 1 January 1973, who have been removed and/or detained by the Home Office since 2002 (when the Casework Information Database (CID) was available across the immigration system) and sought to identify any individuals where there was an indication in the record that the individual could have been in the UK before 1973.The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee on 21st August to provide an update on this work. A copy of this letter has been deposited in the House Library.This work is ongoing and the Home Secretary has committed to regularly updating the Home Affairs Select Committee on progress.

Immigration: Commonwealth

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 have been (a) deported, (b) placed in immigration detention and (c) denied recourse to public funds since 2012.

Caroline Nokes: The Department has been carrying out a review of all cases of Caribbean Commonwealth nationality, born before 1 January 1973, who have been removed and/or detained by the Home Office since 2002 (when the Casework Information Database (CID) was available across the immigration system) and sought to identify any individuals where there was an indication in the record that the individual could have been in the UK before 1973.The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee on 21st August to provide an update on this work. A copy of this letter has been deposited in the House Library. This work is ongoing and the Home Secretary has committed to regularly updating the Home Affairs Select Committee on progress with this work, as well as a review into proactive compliant environment sanctions.

Home Office: Written Questions

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to answer Question 135984 tabled on 16 April 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The response for UIN 135984 was answered on 11th September 2018.

Immigrants: Caribbean

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases are known to (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department of people who have been wrongfully (i) deported and (ii) detained.

Caroline Nokes: The Department has been carrying out a review of all cases of Caribbean Commonwealth nationality, born before 1 January 1973, who have been removed and/or detained by the Home Office since 2002 (when the Casework Information Database (CID) was available across the immigration system) and sought to identify any individuals where there was an indication in the record that the individual could have been in the UK before 1973.The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee on 21st August to provide an update on this work. This letter outlined that, so far, this review has found eighteen people of Caribbean Commonwealth nationality, born before 1 January 1973, who told the Home Office they came to the UK before 1 January 1973 and stayed here permanently and who have been removed and / or detained. Eleven of these left the UK voluntarily and seven were detained.These are the people we consider are most likely to have suffered detriment because their right to be in the UK was not recognised and where the Department is most likely to have acted wrongfully in removing and / or detaining them. Letters of apology are being sent from the Home Secretary.A copy of this letter has been deposited in the House Library. This work is ongoing and the Home Secretary has committed to regularly updating the Home Affairs Select Committee on progress.

Home Office: Written Questions

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to Question 136000, tabled by the hon. Member of Wolverhampton North East, on 16 April 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The response for UIN 136000 was answered on the 11th September 2018.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2018 to Question 138436 on Immigrants: Caribbean, how many outreach community ambassadors have carried out that activity.

Caroline Nokes: As part of our community engagement strategy, ministers and officials have met and continue to build on our relationships with prominent faith and community leaders through individual conversations and community meetings.The Windrush Taskforce have delivered 24 outreach surgeries and have over 90 staff volunteers who are sharing and distributing our key messages among their communities and are feeding back to us about concerns and queries to address.Outreach events have been carried out at events such as the Bethnal Church Convention, West Midlands and at the Jamaica Independence Celebration, Crystal Palace.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 4 May 2018 to Question 138436 on Immigrants: Caribbean, how many African Caribbean touch points were included in each of the five cities.

Caroline Nokes: Our Taskforce team has been conducting surgeries in communities working with MPs and community groups. So far 24 outreach surgeries have been held across the country including London, Birmingham, Bristol and  Manchester and these surgeries are ongoing. Outreach events have been carried out at events such as the Bethnal Church Convention, West Midlands and at the Jamaica Independence Celebration, Crystal Palace.This is an offer open to all and we have emailed MPs’ offices, community groups and key stakeholders to highlight this support available.There are forthcoming roadshows to gather views from those who have been affected which will feed into the Compensation Consultation and the Lessons Learned Review.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the nationality is of each person referred to the Windrush Taskforce since its establishment in April 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Secretary has committed to providing the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee with monthly updates on the work of the department in relation to Windrush.Information relating to nationalities of people referred to the Windrush Taskforce that have been issued with documentation, or granted citizenship under the Windrush Scheme, is included in the monthly update to Home Affairs Committee.The most recent update was published on 21 August and is available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/735170/20180821_-_Windrush_update_.pdfThe next monthly update will be published in due course.

Windrush Generation: Deportation

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many residents of Blackburn constituency who arrived in the UK as part of the Windrush generation have been deported since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: It is not possible to provide the number of individuals who arrived as part of the Windrush generation who may have resided in the Blackburn constituency and have been removed.The Department has been carrying out a review of all cases of Caribbean Commonwealth nationality, born before 1 January 1973, who have been removed and/or detained by the Home Office since 2002 (when the Casework Information Database (CID) was available across the immigration system) and sought to identify any individuals where there was an indication in the record that the individual could have been in the UK before 1973.The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee on 21st August to provide an update on this work.A copy of this letter has been deposited in the House Library. This work is ongoing and the Home Secretary has committed to regularly updating the Home Affairs Select Committee on progress.

Windrush Generation: Scotland

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from the Windrush generation have been identified as living in (a) Scotland, (b) South Lanarkshire and (c) Lanark and Hamilton East constituency.

Caroline Nokes: The data requested is not available. Information relating to individual Windrush migrants is not recorded by constituency.

Refugees: Private Rented Housing

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that refugees are not excluded from the private rented sector as a result of the introduction of the right to rent scheme.

Caroline Nokes: The right to rent scheme has been developed to ensure that those with lawful immigration status, such as refugees, can demonstrate it easily. Refugees are issued with a Biometric Residence Permit which provides confirmation of their status. However, there is a broad range of documents that potential tenants can use to demonstrate their right to rent. These are not based solely around passports or immigration documents. Details of acceptable documents can be found at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/573057/6_1193_HO_NH_Right-to-Rent-Guidance.pdfLandlords can also use the Home Office Checking Service where a prospective tenant is unable to present documents, because they have submitted them to the Home Office. This is a simple and efficient, case-specific service which can be accessed online, or via a dedicated helpline, to check whether a tenant or prospective tenant has a right to rent.

Visas: Africa

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what Key Performance Indicators his Department has put in place for the performance of commercial visa application centres in African countries.

Caroline Nokes: The contract for providing Visa Application Centres in Africa was awarded to Teleperformance UK Ltd in 2014 initially for a five year period and extended recently for a further two years until 31 March 2021.Seventeen critical and non-critical service levels are incorporated into the contract which provides provision of Visa Application Centres in Africa.The service levels are intended to measure whether the supplier is meeting the levels of performance necessary to satisfy the Home Office’s business and regulatory requirements. The service levels are regularly reviewed between the supplier and the Home Office.The contract awarded to Teleperformance for Visa Application Centres in Africa predates the launch of the current version of Contracts Finder though summary detail has been published for transparency purposes and can be found athttps://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/1394970/In complying with the Governments transparency agenda, the Home Office will be publishing a redacted version of the Teleperformance contract to Contracts Finder within the next 4 weeks. The detail of the service levels is contained within Schedule 7.

Immigration: Married People

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many leave to remain applications were rejected from applicants married to habitually resident British subjects in the last 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: Published data on decisions on applications for extension to stay is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/734168/extensions-jun-2018-tables.ods.Refer to tab ex_01_q and select ‘Family’The data does not capture ‘applicants married to habitually resident British subjects’

Asylum

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of UKVI's communications with asylum claim applicants on the progress of their applications; and if he will take steps to ensure that those applicants receive adequate communications on the progress of their applications.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office aims to keep individuals informed of progress with their application at least every 6 months. This process is kept under review and we are working to make technology improvements to the process of updating individuals.

Asylum

Mrs Kemi Badenoch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will bring forward proposals to assess the skills of people seeking asylum in the UK at the point of entry.

Caroline Nokes: The primary purpose of the asylum system is to decide claims in line with our international obligations and the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2018 to Question 158775 on Immigration Controls: Airports, with reference to his Department's response to the Freedom of Information request by The Times newspaper, reference 41762, how many passport control queues exceeded the service level agreement (a) 25-minute waiting time for EEA passengers and (b) 45-minute waiting time for non-EEA passengers in each month for the period (i) January to May 2017 and (ii) January to May 2018 at (A) Heathrow, (B) Gatwick, (C) Manchester, (D) Stansted, (E) Luton, (F) Edinburgh, (G) Birmingham, (H) Glasgow, (I) Bristol and (J) Belfast International airports; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office publishes quarterly transparency data on the proportion of passengers cleared at the border within published service standards. Performance data is not published in respect of individual ports.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2018 to Question 158773 on Immigration Controls, what consultation exercises his Department has undertaken with (a) aviation and (b) consumer stakeholders in relation to to Service Level Agreements on Border Force performance.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force engages with key stakeholders, across sectors, on a variety of subjects on a regular basis, this includes performance at the border.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of ePassport gate technology at airports on levels of throughflow of passengers in the Border Hall; and whether he has plans to reduce the waiting time targets of Border Force as a result of the introduction of that technology.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force is taking a number of steps to ensure passengers are dealt with quickly, including through investment in technology. We regularly review the impact of new technology at the border and the effect seen on passenger flows to ensure that genuine passengers move through the border as quickly and effectively as possible.Since their introduction in 2008 ePassport gates have processed nearly 160m passengers through the UK borders (over 48m in the past twelve months alone). Since January 2018 up until May 2018, 19.6m passengers went through the gates. We have facilitated the increase in passenger transactions through the ePassport Gates from 1 million in 2009, to 50.9 million for the 12 months to the end of July 2018.Until the summer of 2009 ePassport gates were operational at 10 sites. In April 2016 we were operating 125 ePassport gates at 14 airport terminals. We are now operating 259 Gates at 22 air and rail terminals.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress his Department has made on a National Alcohol Strategy; and how many specialist health (a) charities and (b) academics are involved in the development of that strategy.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions officials in his Department have had with officials in the Department for Health and Social Care on the development of a national alcohol strategy to ensure that the strategy includes the harm caused by alcohol, including cancer.

Victoria Atkins: The Government remains committed to tackling harms caused by alcohol, including cancer-related harms. That is why we are developing a new alcohol strategy that will set out targeted action to prevent and reduce harmful drinking, support vulnerable people affected by others’ alcohol misuse and improve the pathways into treatment for people with alcohol dependency.This is a cross-government strategy announced by the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care, who are working closely with a range of stakeholders and have engaged with industry, clinicians, academia and the voluntary sector.In July 2018, the Minister for Public Health and Primary Care hosted a roundtable with health experts including representation from the Alcohol Health Alliance, Institute of Alcohol Studies, Collective Voice UK, the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, British Society of Gastroenterology, Alcohol Research UK, Association of Directors of Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Association of Mental Health providers, Adfam, Cancer Research UK and the UK Health Forum.In addition the Minister also hosted an ‘experts by experience’ roundtable in collaboration with the charities Collective Voice and NHS Substance Misuse Providers Alliance, and with families in collaboration with the charity Adfam. Another expert roundtable on Foetal Alcohol Syndrome is scheduled in September 2018, alongside further engagement with experts in the coming months on priority areas for the strategy.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has he made of implications for his Department's policies of the (a) recommendations and (b) conclusions of the Report Towards a Smooth and Improved Border, published by the Airport Operators Association in July 2018.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force will be working with the Air Operators Association Report to discuss the issues raised and will continue to work with industry to deliver a good service at the UK BorderAs set out in DfT’s Next Steps to an Aviation Strategy, we are considering whether there are any additional or alternative funding models that could be introduced to improve the service for passengers at the border. We will will consult widely with relevant partners to ensure that any model introduced will be one which works best for the country and industry.

Antisocial Behaviour: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the cost of damage caused as a result of anti-social behaviour during the annual Appleby Horse Fair.

Victoria Atkins: Local agencies are responsible for deciding how and when anti-social powers are used and it is for the organisers of the event, the police and local authority to assess the damage caused and to take appropriate action against those responsible. The government has therefore made no assessments of the cost of any damage in these particular circumstances.

Visas: Turkey

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 136142 on Visas: Turkey, if he will make it his policy to extend the transitional arrangements for Turkish business people who applied for settlement before 16 March 2018 to holders of a European Community Association Agreement visa for Turkish business persons that did not apply for settlement before that date, but who have been living in the UK for up to four years under the immigration rules in force since 1973.

Caroline Nokes: New Immigration Rules were announced on 15 June that enable Turkish business persons, workers and their family members who are in the UK under the European Communities Association Agreement (ECAA) to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR). The new rules which took effect from 6 July, mean that Turkish workers and business persons can now apply to settle in the UK after five years’ residence as an ECAA business person or ECAA worker (or in equivalent Points Based System routes, as long as the most recent period of leave was under the ECAA).In the case of Aydogdu, the Upper Tribunal confirmed that the ECAA “standstill clause” under which 1973 Immigration Rules are applied to Turkish businesspersons did not apply to ILR in the UK, as ILR is not necessary to give effect to the UK’s obligations under the ECAA. The Government does not intend to extend transitional provisions to those Turkish business persons resident in the UK but who did not apply for settlement before 16 March 2018 because it is open to them either to apply for ILR under the new rules, or to extend their limited leave to remain as an ECAA business person free of charge.

Immigration

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time is that a person has waited for the return of passports and other official documentation after their immigration status has been decided in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the maximum length of time is that a person must wait for passports and official documentation to be returned to them after their immigration case has been decided.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the minimum length of time is for a person to have (a) passports and (b) official documentation returned after an immigration case has been decided.

Caroline Nokes: Where a decision is taken to grant leave, documents will be returned in accordance with current processes.These processes act as a checklist to ensure that relevant documents are collected and returned in a timely manner.Home Office officials have worked with Royal Mail to ensure the process to return documents is secure and timely.Section 17 of the Asylum & Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Act 2004 gives the power to retain documents, such as a passport, where the Secretary of State or an immigration officer suspects a migrant is liable to removal and the retention of the document may facilitate removal.The 2004 Act does not allow for the indefinite retention of documents. Where a person is later granted leave, in whatever capacity, the document must be returned to the holder unless it is a forgery.The Home Office guidance can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/640156/Retention-of-documents-v8.0ext.pdf

Immigration: Low Incomes

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department provides financial support to people on low incomes to apply for indefinite leave to remain.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not provide direct financial support for people applying for indefinite leave to remain. However, no fee is payable for Indefinite Leave to Remain children in Local Authority care and children are also eligible for fee waivers in a set of specified Human Rights cases.

Synthetic Cannabinoids

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations he has received on the current classification level of synthetic cannabinoids.

Mr Nick Hurd: We receive a range of representations on the current classification level of synthetic cannabinoids and we recognise how dangerous synthetic cannabinoids can be and the devastating impact that they can have on communities, families and the individuals taking them.That is why we acted to control these substances as class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in 2016, to give the police the powers they need to take action, including making possession illegal and delivering longer sentences for dealers.This followed recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs that their harms are commensurate with other class B drugs.However, we will continue to monitor their impact.

Asylum: Liverpool

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers in (a) Liverpool City Region, (b) Liverpool local authority area and (c) Liverpool Walton have been refused support under section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1999 in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office continue to provide accommodation and support to those failed asylum seekers and their dependents who are temporarily unable to leave the UK because of a practical or legal obstacle through the Section 4 provisions.Information on numbers of cases who have been refused S4 support broken down by area of the UK, is unavailable and could be produced only at a disproportionate cost. The Home Office publishes data on the number of applications for S4 support in the quarterly transparency data available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-august-2018

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Windrush generation applicants to Government bodies including the Student Finance Company are not penalised as a result of their immigration status.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office has been working with departments across Government to introduce additional safeguards to ensure members of the Windrush generation can access services and are not impacted by measures designed to prevent illegal migration.This includes strengthening our immigration status checking enquiry services to ensure potential Windrush cases are referred to the taskforce so their status can be addressed. The Home Office has issued guidance on these safeguards to public service providers responsible for conducting immigration status checks.

Members: Correspondence

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the two letters of 21 June 2018 from the hon. Member for Lewisham Deptford regarding Windrush cases.

Caroline Nokes: I apologise for the delay in responding to your letters of 21 June 2018. As you are aware, the Home Office is required to respond to correspondence within 20 working days; however, given the complexities of your constituent’s case, it was not possible to provide a full reply within that timeframe. A response is in hand and a substantive reply will be sent within the week.

Home Office: Written Questions

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to answer Question 143223, on Undocumented Migrants: Deportation, tabled by the hon. Member for Ceredigion on 11 May 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The response for UIN 143223 was answered on the 13 August 2018.

Deportation: Zimbabwe

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed asylum seekers have been deported to Zimbabwe in each of the last 10 weeks.

Caroline Nokes: The number of enforced returns from the UK to Zimbabwe is published in table rt_05 (returns data tables, volume 5) in ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending June 2018’, available from the GOV.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/734186/returns5-jun-2018-tables.odsThe term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. Information on those deported is not separately available and therefore the published statistics refer to all enforced returns.The data include asylum and non-asylum cases. Asylum cases relate to those who have claimed asylum at any stage as well as those seeking asylum whose application is rejected.The Home Office do not publish data for individual weeks.

Deportation: Zimbabwe

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the implications of reports of the detention of opponents of the Government of Zimbabwe in that country since the recent election there for his policies on returning failed asylum seekers.

Caroline Nokes: All asylum and human rights claims from Zimbabwean nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.Each individual assessment is made against the background of the latest available country of origin information and any relevant caselaw. These are reflected in country policy and information notes, which are published on the gov.uk website and kept under regular review. Our most recent update on ‘Zimbabwe: Opposition to the government’ was issued in April 2018.We have been monitoring the situation in Zimbabwe before, during and after the election process, including the treatment of political opponents, and will update the country policy and information note in due course where we can consider the longer-term significance of these events and ultimately make a full and informed decision about the situation.However, the situation before, during and after the election does not suggest a fundamentally different one to the difficulties faced by opponents of the ruling ZANU-PF party, which is reflected in the current country policy and information note.

British Nationality: Republic of Ireland

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Irish citizens living in the UK with a parent born in the British dominion of Ireland before 1949 are eligible for automatic British citizenship.

Caroline Nokes: An Irish citizen whose parent was born in Ireland prior to 1949 would be a British citizen at birth if they were born in the UK before 1983; or born in the UK thereafter at a time when their parent was ordinarily resident here.If born outside of the UK after 1949, they would be a British citizen only where their parent retained an ongoing ability to pass on British nationality.Where the circumstances above do not apply, they are able to seek naturalisation as a British citizen provided they meet the statutory requirements.

Visas: Young People

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential economic merits of providing residency rights via express entry to British National Overseas participants of the youth mobility programme.

Caroline Nokes: The Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme enables nationals from participating countries to work and stay in the UK for up to two years. British Nationals (Overseas) are eligible to apply under these arrangements. The scheme is temporary and therefore does not lead to settlement.

Asylum: Finance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to extend the length of time that newly recognised refugees can continue to claim asylum support after a decision to grant leave to remain.

Caroline Nokes: Newly recognised refugees can continue to claim asylum support for a further 28 days after the grant of their status. There are no plans to extend this period.The grant of refugee status means refugees are eligible to apply for mainstream benefits. If they would like assistance with the application an early appointment at a local job centre is arranged for them. This process is designed to ensure that refugees receive the first payment of any benefit they are entitled to before the 28 days period expires, either by full payment of the benefit or through an advance payment.

Asylum: Interpreters

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to ensure that interpreters of interviews during the asylum process are able to translate to a high quality and produce work to an accredited standard.

Caroline Nokes: All asylum interviews are carried out by an impartial interviewing officer.All interpreters engaged by the Home Office must demonstrate they have the required skills and qualifications. They must also:be a full member of the National Register of Public Services Interpreters (NRPSI), orhold a Diploma in Public Services Interpreting (DPSI) (Law) or a letter of Credit in all oral components (Law), orhave been assessed by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) (formerly the Immigration Appellate Authority), orhave been assessed by the Metropolitan Police.They are also bound by a “Code of Conduct” to ensure minimum standards for interpreting and behaviour.Home Office policy and guidance ensures that in the event of interpreters or interviews falling short of those standards, it would not adversely affect an individual’s asylum claim.Interviewing Officers are encouraged to provide feedback on the performance of interpreters, using specifically designed monitoring forms. Interviews may also be monitored for training and security purposes.

Asylum: Advisory Services

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has plans to fund independent advice on the asylum process for people subject to asylum processes.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office has provided grant-funding on a national level to Migrant Help for the provision of independent advice to asylum seekers since April 2014.

Asylum: Interviews

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to ensure that (a) people seeking asylum are able to access legal advice prior to their screening interviews and (b) screening interviews for asylum are not used during credibility assessments.

Caroline Nokes: All asylum claimants have the opportunity to be legally represented during the consideration of their asylum claim; the Legal Aid Agency ensures that legal aid funding is provided to those who need it. Free independent guidance is available to claimants provided by Migrant Help, including on finding legal representation. The straightforward nature of the screening interview means that claimants do not, in general, need to have legal advice prior to that interview.The process of making an asylum decision is underpinned by an overall assessment of credibility where decision-makers must carefully consider all available evidence, including responses and statements provided during the completion of the screening questionnaire. Where a claimant makes a statement at asylum screening which is inconsistent with a statement provided later, they will be provided an opportunity to explain the discrepancy during their substantive interview.

Passports: Windrush Generation

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to ensure that naturalised Windrush applicants are exempt from paying any fees when applying for a first British passport.

Caroline Nokes: British citizens must pay for a passport and it would not be fair to existing British citizens to provide a free passport to those applying for British Citizenship under the Windrush Scheme.

Immigration

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of using the electoral register as evidence of residence in the UK for applicants to the settlement scheme.

Caroline Nokes: We will accept a wide range of documentation as proof of residence for applications to the EU Settlement Scheme. A list of recommended documents, which we have been discussing with stakeholder groups, is included in Annex A of the published caseworker guidance for the private beta test phase of the scheme:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/736281/EU_Settlement_Scheme___Caseworker_guidance.pdf.However, the range of evidence that may be accepted is not limited to this list. We recognise that some applicants may lack documentary evidence for various reasons, and we will work flexibly with applicants to help them evidence their continuous residence in the UK by the best means available to them. This includes thorough use of additional sources such as the electoral register.

Refugees: Children

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme beyond 2020.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the geographic reach of the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme.

Caroline Nokes: The Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme is the largest resettlement effort aimed specifically at children at risk from the MENA region. There are no plans to increase its geographical reach at this time.Looking to the future, we have begun work with key stakeholders and international organisations on our future Asylum and Resettlement Strategy, which includes consideration of the UK’s resettlement offer beyond 2020.

Asylum

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time was for a final decision on an asylum application in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: Information regarding Asylum data is published as part of the Government’s Transparency agenda the latest release of which can be found at can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-august-2018

Road Traffic Offences: Motorways

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many penalty charges have been issued for motorway middle lane offences in the last three years.

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fines have been issued to drivers for ignoring closed lanes on smart motorways.

Mr Nick Hurd: The information requested is not held centrally. The Home Office publishes data annually on the number of motoring offences dealt with via a fixed penalty notice (FPN) in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical publication.The Home Office collects and publishes the number of FPNs issued by offence group and offences related to ‘middle lane hogging’ and ‘ignoring lane closures’ on the motorway come under the offence group ‘careless driving offences’. It is not possible to separately identify them in the data held by the Home Office.The number of FPNs issued for ‘Careless driving offences’ can be found in table ‘FPN_02’ of the ‘Fixed penalty notices for motoring offences’ tables. This table shows data on a calendar year basis, with the collection beginning in 2001.The latest data, up to the calendar year 2017, can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2017The next release of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical publication is due to be published on 25th October 2018.

Bicycles: Theft

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many bikes available through public bike hire schemes have been reported stolen in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects data on police recorded crime including theft or unauthorised taking of a pedal cycle. These are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest figures, for the year ending March 2018, can be accessed here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtablesIt is not possible from these data to identify whether or not the pedal cycle was available through a public hire scheme.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications he has received for the compensation scheme for the Windrush generation.

Caroline Nokes: The Windrush Compensation Scheme is not yet in operation to receive applications.The Government has committed to establishing a compensation scheme that is tailored to meet the needs of those affected. The Home Office published a consultation paper on 19 July seeking views on the design and operation of the scheme and this consultation period runs until 11 October. We will announce details of the final scheme and how to apply as soon as possible after the public consultation has ended.

Tobacco: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the volume was of counterfeit tobacco seized in the UK in the last three years.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force takes its responsibility for protect the border very seriously and this includes preventing illicit goods from entering the UK.Border Force seize tobacco at the border on the basis that it is illicit. At the point of the seizure, Border Force do not know if the tobacco is genuine or counterfeit and does not hold data, which can easily identify the volume of product that is counterfeit.

UK Visas and Immigration: Biometrics

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the contract to provide the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) Biometric Service will commence; where that service will be located; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The new service will commence in early November 2018. The majority of UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) customers in the UK will be able to complete their immigration application at new fixed service points across the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) or through temporary or mobile services. Sopra Steria will deliver this service on behalf of UKVI.UKVI will also provide an in-house service for customers requiring more support and face to face interaction with Home Office staff. They will book appointments at one of the UKVI Service and Support Centres (SSC) across the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).We will continue to offer the Post Office biometric service throughout the transition period.

Police

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on the number of incidents that police have responded to that have involved someone experiencing mental health problems; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such police involvement in each of the last eight years.

Mr Nick Hurd: Police officers in England and Wales regularly interact with people who may be experiencing mental ill health. Some such interactions may result in the need to remove a person to a place of safety under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Data on such detentions were collected by the Home Office on a mandatory basis for the first time in 2016/17, and are published as part of the ‘Police powers and procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2017.In response to Home Office enquiries earlier this year, police forces in England and Wales provided a range of information about the numbers of cases they had identified that may involve a person experiencing mental ill health, either by means of a mental health flag or through dip sampling. Data on these cases is not routinely collected by the Home Office.The Home Office has not estimated the cost of police involvement in cases where the person may be experiencing mental ill health. Given the wide variety of circumstances in which police may come into contact with someone who has mental health issues it is not practicable to separate out mental health related aspects from other policing responsibilities in respect of each case.

Asylum: Housing

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department has had with (a) external experts and (b) asylum seekers on the design of the contract for asylum seeker housing from 2019.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office has actively engaged with a wide range of stakeholders across local government, statutory and third sector as part of the development of the new asylum accommodation contracts and the information obtained through this process has influenced the design of the future service provision.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of (a) financial and (b) other support to Merseyside Fire Service.

Mr Nick Hurd: Fire and rescue services have the resources they need to do their important work. Overall fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.3 billion in 2018/19.In 2018/19, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority will receive £60.1 million in core spending power. This is an increase of 0.9% compared with 2017/18. In addition, at March 2017, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority held £31.9 million in reserves, equivalent to 53.5% of core spending power.

Police Custody: Sanitary Protection

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of (a) tampons and (b) sanitary towels for women in custody at each police station in each constabulary in theNorth West.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not centrally hold information on individual force policies and procedures.The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has developed and introduced new operational guidance on the treatment of female detainees in police custody and, in particular, the provision of menstrual and sanitary products. This guidance forms part of the College of Policing’s Approved Professional Practice and was published in August.The Government is currently consulting on proposals to strengthen the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) Code of Practice C (detention) and H (detention – terrorism) to ensure menstruating women in custody are treated with dignity. The consultation closes on 1 October.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been invited to participate in the pilot of the application process for the EU Settlement Scheme.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what projection she has made of the number and proportion of people invited to participate in the pilot of the application process for the EU Settlement Scheme who will do so.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who have been invited to participate in the pilot of the application process for the EU Settlement Scheme had done so as of 5 September 2018.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people participating in the pilot of the application process for the EU Settlement Scheme will have to pay an application fee.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of the people who have been invited in the pilot of the application process for the EU Settlement Scheme are in employment or in full-time education.

Caroline Nokes: From 28 August we commenced our first private beta phase of the EU Settlement Scheme to prove some of the functionality and processes in a live environment.This phase is open to around 4,000 eligible EU citizens from three Liverpool universities and 12 NHS Trusts in North West England who are working for or studying at these institutions. Any non-EU citizen family members of EU citizens who have previously been issued a biometric residence card under the EEA Regulations and are working for or studying at these institutions are also eligible.The private beta phase is entirely voluntary. EU citizens and non-EU citizen family members who are eligible do not need to apply now and can choose to apply after the scheme has rolled out fully. Given the voluntary nature of the private beta phase, we do not expect all eligible EU citizens and non-EU citizen family members to apply.Applications will cost £65, which is the standard fee for applicants aged 16 or over. It will, however, be free for those with valid permanent residence or indefinite leave to remain documentation.We will use the learning from this phase to improve our processes ahead of further phased roll outs to all eligible EU citizens and their non-EU citizen family members. Feedback from users so far has been very positive.We will provide further details in due course of these subsequent phases, and we will continue to update Parliament as part of that process.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will place in the House of Commons Library a copy of the letter sent to EU citizens inviting them to participate in the pilot of the application process for the EU Settlement Scheme.

Caroline Nokes: Information about the private beta phase of the EU Settlement Scheme and how to participate in it was provided by the 12 NHS Trusts and three universities to their employees and students.We will provide further details in due course of the planned phased implementation of the scheme, and we will continue to update Parliament as part of that process.

Immigration

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2018 to Question 159721 on Immigration, for what reason the Government does not publicly release information on the (a) numbers and (b) outcomes of administrative reviews.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is currently reviewing the management information held on administrative reviews on our systems with the possibility of publishing this in the future.

Department for International Development

Africa: Poverty

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her French counterpart on sharing best practice on poverty reduction in Africa.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK and France have a historically strong development partnership and work together in a number of areas including gender, education and climate change, as well as in the Sahel. The Secretary of State and I have held several meetings with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the French Development Agency (AFD) to share best practice and to improve donor coordination, particularly as the UK scales up its engagement in the Sahel.

Developing Countries: Think Tanks

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to support local think tanks in countries in which it operates.

Harriett Baldwin: Think tanks are an important component of the kind of vibrant, open and diverse ecosystem of civil society organisations that we enjoy in Britain. Effective policy making means hearing expert voices and opinions and being accountable for the decisions we make and think tanks are part of that equation. DFID is acting to ensure that developing countries and their citizens benefit from the same critical friend relationship with this important component of civil society. DFID builds the capacity of think tanks through our programmes in the developing countries with whom we partner. For example, DFID provides funding to the Think Tank Initiative (TTI), which seeks to build the capacity of independent social and economic policy think tanks to provide evidence-based advice to policy makers. Think tanks supported by TTI push for more open policy making at national, regional and global levels, and deliver new research and policy engagement on important policy areas including poverty reduction, tax, transparency, growth, democratic transition, trade, regional integration, and climate change. TTI is a ten year joint-funded programme, which runs until September 2019, funding 43 think tanks in 20 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America. DFID’s current commitment is £6.5m for Phase Two.

Africa: Poverty

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the role of Regional Economic Communities of Africa in contributing to poverty reduction.

Harriett Baldwin: Regional Economic Communities (RECs) provide an important contribution to poverty reduction. RECs are essential building blocks for Africa’s trade and economic integration. The focus of RECs’ work varies from region to region - depending on context they play an important role coordinating work to reduce barriers to trade, develop regional infrastructure, promote trade, and maintain peace and security.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the total cost to the public purse of his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

David Mundell: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf. Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on 13 March.https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/

Scotland Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

David Mundell: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor also set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU Exit preparations in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Scotland Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.

David Mundell: The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland does not hold the information requested as we have not accounted for these costs separately.

Brexit: Scotland

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the Scottish economy of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

David Mundell: The UK Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU negotiations and preparations. The UK Government firmly believes it is in the interests of both the EU and the UK to strike a deal. That remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect on access to banking services of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s branch closure programme in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Royal Bank of Scotland’s decision to close bank branches, the format of the provision of service and publication of its data are commercial decisions for the Royal Bank of Scotland. However, the impact on communities must be understood, considered and mitigated where possible. That is why Government supports the industry’s Access to Banking Standard, launched in May 2017, which commits banks to ensure personal and business customers are better informed about branch closures and the reasons for them closing, along with the options they have locally to continue to access banking services, including specialist assistance for customers who need more help. The Access to Banking Standard is monitored and enforced by the independent Lending Standards Board. The Post Office’s commercial agreement with 28 high street banks also ensures continued access to banking when a branch closes. At Autumn Budget 2017, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury wrote to the Post Office and UK Finance to ask them to raise public awareness of these important services. The Government is committed to widespread free access to cash. LINK, the organisation that runs the UK’s ATM network, operates a Financial Inclusion Programme, which subsidises ATMs in areas that have poor access to cash and would not otherwise be viable. LINK has committed to protecting all free-to-use ATMs which are a kilometre or more from the next nearest free-to-use ATM.In July, LINK announced it was cancelling its third interchange fee reduction, due in January 2020, and putting on hold its fourth reduction, due in January 2021, pending a further review next year. The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has welcomed these adjustments to future interchange rates, having stated that LINK must carefully review its decisions on interchange fees to reflect changing market conditions. The Payment Systems Regulator Limited (PSR) has committed to using their powers to maintain widespread free access to cash should they need to.

Local Growth Deals: Ayrshire

Bill Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what progress has been made on the Ayrshire Growth Deal.

David Mundell: My officials continue to engage with the Ayrshire Partners to refine the Deal proposals and met with the Head of the Ayrshire Growth Deal Team in Kilmarnock on Thursday 6 September where progress with individual projects and the Deal timeline were discussed. The UK Government began formal negotiations with the three Ayrshire Councils following an announcement by the Prime Minister on 29 March 2018.

Financial Services: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the merits of the Scottish Parliament being able to bring forward legislative proposals on financial services and pensions regulation with the consent of the Scottish Secretary; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the merits of the Scottish Parliament being able to bring forward legislative proposals on broadcasting with the consent of the Scottish Secretary; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the merits of the Scottish Parliament being able to bring forward legislative proposals on telecommunications and postage with the consent of the Scottish Secretary; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the merits of the Scottish Parliament being able to bring forward legislative proposals on import and export controls with the consent of the Scottish Secretary; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: Under the Scotland Act 1998 these matters are reserved. In 2014, the Smith Commission considered in great depth what new powers should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament, and the report was agreed by all five of Scotland’s main political parties. The Scotland Act 2016 delivers on the Smith Commission Agreement in full, and we are committed to implementing the Act. The devolution settlement strikes the right balance and now is not the time to reopen this issue.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office EU Unit

Mr David Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions his Department's Europe Unit had prior to 12 July  2018 with ministers or officials of the devolved administrations on the contents of the White Paper on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.

Chloe Smith: The UK Government has engaged with the Devolved Administrations throughout the process of exiting the EU. This has principally occurred through the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations), chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, as well as other ministerial fora and bilateral engagement. The content of the White Paper was discussed at several ministerial meetings in the weeks preceding publication, specifically: two meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee for EU Negotiations (chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster) on 22 June and 5 July; and, two meetings of the Ministerial Forum for EU Negotiations (co-chaired by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and the Cabinet Office Minister for Constitution) on 24 May and 27 June. Further information on these sessions can be found on Gov.uk. The devolved administrations also received embargoed copies of the White Paper in advance of publication.

Cabinet Office EU Unit

Sir Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when officials in the Europe Unit first had discussions with officials of the Department for Exiting the European Union on the Government's Chequers plan for leaving the EU.

Chloe Smith: The proposals discussed at Chequers and the White Paper built on the position set out by the Prime Minister at Mansion House, which was the subject of wide-ranging discussions across Whitehall. The Cabinet Office with Europe Unit have close working relationships across Whitehall, especially DExEU. All departments are working closely together to deliver a successful departure from the European Union.

Councillors: EU Nationals

Sandy Martin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether citizens of non UK EU countries that are not UK citizens will be entitled to stand as candidates in local authority elections after 1 April 2019.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to the Member for Cambridge to PQ129820 on 28 March 2018.

Councillors: EU Nationals

Sandy Martin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether local authority councillors who are citizens of non-UK EU countries and not UK citizens will be disqualified from office after 1 April 2019.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to the Member for Cambridge to PQ129820 on 28 March 2018.

Local Government: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2018 to Question 145350, what the cost of delivering the voter ID pilots and the postal voting pilots at the local government elections in May 2018 was in each local authority area.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future. Vulnerabilities cannot be allowed to undermine the integrity of our democracy. The accounting process is being completed for the cost of each local authority pilot.As set out ahead of the pilots, funding for the net additional costs of piloting is provided by the Cabinet Office.

Elections: Campaigns

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that digital material must have an imprint indicating which organisation or individual (a) was behind the campaign and (b) created it.

Chloe Smith: In March 2018, the Government committed to consult on whether the requirement for an imprint should be extended to electronic communications, in its response to the Committee on Standards in Public Life’s, ‘Review of Intimidation in Public Life’, which was published in December 2017. On 29 July 2018, the Cabinet Office launched an open consultation entitled ‘Protecting the Debate: Intimidating, Influence and Information’, which seeks views on proposed changes to electoral law, including the inclusion of imprints on digital campaign materials. The consultation will close at midnight on 22 October 2018 and is available at GOV.UK. Following the conclusion of the consultation the Government will consider the submitted responses and decide on an appropriate course of action.

Elections: Campaigns

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling the Electoral Commission to obtain information outside of an investigation.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling the Electoral Commission to share information with other agencies when it is in the public interest to do so.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the maximum level of fine available to the Electoral Commission for campaigners that break electoral rules.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling the Electoral Commission to (a) investigate and (b) sanction candidates in elections.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018,  what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of guidance on spending on (a) election and (b) referendum campaigns by foreign organisations or individuals.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that campaigners in elections are informed or the rules relating to potential donations from from companies that have not made sufficient money in the UK to fund the amount of their donation or loan.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, what steps he is taking with the Electoral Commission to (a) improve controls on donations and loans to prevent foreign money being used in UK politics and (b) ensure the adequacy of (i) due diligence and (ii) risk assessments.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, what assessment he has made of the potential merits on bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that (a) new parties and (b) referendum campaigners with assets or liabilities over £500 are required to submit a declaration of assets and liabilities upon registration and the declaration should include an estimate of the costs the campaigner has invested in buying or developing the data they hold when they register.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring campaigners to provide detailed and meaningful invoices from their digital suppliers to improve transparency.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, what the implications are of the recommendations that the Government (a) amend the rules for reporting spending, (b) make campaigners sub-divide their spending returns into different types of spending and (c) provide additional information on the money spent on digital campaigns.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office,with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that campaign-related staff costs are included in the spending limits on (a) political party election and (b) referendum campaign spending.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Digital campaigning, Increasing transparency for voters, published by the Electoral Commission in June 2018, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking a review on the timeframe for spending and funding controls in advance of a referendum.

Chloe Smith: The Government is grateful to the Electoral Commission for its comprehensive report into Digital Campaigning. We are carefully reviewing it and will respond in due course.

Electorate: Proof of Identity

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which local authorities have expressed an interest to take part in the 2019 voter ID pilots to date.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future. Vulnerabilities cannot be allowed to undermine the integrity of our democracy and the voter ID pilots in 2019 will enable further evaluation of the impact of requiring voters to present identification before voting. The Electoral Integrity Pilots Prospectus published in August invites expressions of interest and formal applications from local authorities. We anticipate receiving formal applications by 10 September for consideration and approval. We will make an announcement when that process is completed of which local authorities will pilot voter ID in May 2019. The Government will continue to work closely with its key partner organisations to provide a clear and secure democracy that works for everyone.

Cabinet Office: Publicity

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018 on promoting (i) greater democratic engagement and (ii) voter ID.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office has taken a number of steps to promote democratic engagement. This includes National Democracy Week (held in July 2018) and three projects funded by the Suffrage Fund Centenary Programme. These projects are the Democracy Ambassadors Scheme to recruit and train youth democracy ambassadors, the development and publication of toolkit for parliamentarians and a new secondary schools resource (to be release later this year). Spending on these projects has been spread across 2017 and 2018 calendar years and amounts to less than £500k to date.The Electorial and local authorities are also responsible for democratic engagement.The Government is also committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future. Vulnerabilities cannot be allowed to undermine the integrity of our democracy. As part of the Government’s manifesto commitment to ensure that a form of identification must be presented before voting, five voter ID pilots took place at the local elections on 3 May 2018. The accounting process is being completed for the cost of each local authority pilot's local promotion of voter ID. The results from the pilots show that the local awareness campaigns in all of the five pilot areas to prepare the public were effective in engaging voters.

Electorate: Proof of Identity

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment the Government has made of the cost-effectiveness of implementing a voter ID scheme throughout the UK.

Chloe Smith: The Government is committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future. Vulnerabilities cannot be allowed to undermine the integrity of our democracy. As part of the Government’s manifesto commitment to ensure that a form of identification must be presented before voting, five voter ID pilots took place at the local elections on 3 May 2018. In order for us to have a deeper understanding of how voter ID will work on a wider scale and what works best for voters, we plan to continue to pilot voter ID at next year’s local elections. Part of our evaluation of the 2018 pilots and that of the Electoral Commission has been to understand the cost impact of voter ID. That analysis will be developed further when voter ID is piloted in 2019 and will help to inform decisions on voter ID in the future and ensure its cost effectiveness.

Unemployment: Disability

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of unemployed people registered as disabled that are capable of employment.

Mr David Lidington: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response 
(PDF Document, 133.74 KB)

Treasury

Pensions

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the regulations that allow the transfer of a private pension scheme to a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme within the European Economic Area will be exempt from tax after the UK has left the EU.

John Glen: The regulations that allow a tax-free transfer of a private pension scheme to a QROP within the EEA are domestic law which currently comply with EU fundamental freedoms. Whether or not these transfers will be exempt from the overseas transfer charge once the UK leaves the EU is dependent upon the terms of future exit agreement between the UK Government and the EU.

Import Duties

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to protect UK retailers from an increase in goods brought into the UK without the appropriate taxes being paid.

Mel Stride: HMRC is successfully tackling non-compliance from overseas businesses selling goods to UK consumers via online marketplaces without paying VAT. This includes measures taken to support HMRC compliance activity designed to drive compliant behaviour in overseas sellers. HMRC has now received around 43,500 applications to register for VAT by online non-EU based businesses. This compares with about 1,650 in 2015.

VAT: Registration

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to prepare the UK for a potential situation whereby the UK loses access to the EU VAT information sharing system.

Mel Stride: The Government’s aim is to keep VAT processes as close as possible to what they are now. This will provide the best continuity and most certainty for businesses and individuals. The Government supports administrative cooperation and exchange of information between countries, to help combat tax avoidance and evasion. The Government also supports the use of technology to underpin this and to help simplify business burdens more generally. The Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Bill therefore provides the ability to enable continued access to, or to adapt, these procedures and IT systems.

Financial Services: USA

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the US Administration on establishing a FinTech bridge agreement between the UK and the USA.

John Glen: UK and US government officials and regulators continue to engage on a range of financial services policy, including FinTech. There are no current plans for a UK-US FinTech Bridge.

Personation

Karen Lee: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the service provided by the Financial Ombudsman Service to victims of identity fraud.

John Glen: The Government recognises that it is vitally important that the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is accountable for the performance and quality of its work. The FOS answers to a Board of Directors, appointed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and must make a report each year on the discharge of its functions. Whilst the FOS can investigate a range of complaints, it may not be able to consider some complaints involving identity fraud if these fall outside of its jurisdiction, which is set out in the FCA’s Dispute Resolution (DISP) rules. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) provides guidance to victims of identity fraud on its website.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many social care employers have been prosecuted by HMRC for failing to keep sufficient minimum wage record in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mel Stride: The government is determined to ensuring that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100 or via the online complaints form at gov.uk. HMRC reviews all complaints that are referred to them. Most NMW cases are subject to civil (non-criminal) sanctions, the consequences of which include fines of up to 200% of the determined underpayment, and public naming. Prosecution is reserved for the most serious non-compliance, and since 2007 HMRC investigations have led to the successful prosecution of 14 UK employers for NMW related offences. These prosecutions have included one care sector provider, but not for the offence of failing to keep sufficient minimum wage records.

Revenue and Customs: Ipswich

Sandy Martin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what additional costs will accrue to HMRC as a result of locating staff in Stratford and not Ipswich.

Sandy Martin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether there will be any disruption to the collection of taxes as a result of the translocation of staff from Ipswich to Stratford.

Sandy Martin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that local businesses remain tax compliant after Ipswich compliance staff have been moved to Stratford.

Sandy Martin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to enable existing HMRC staff with disabilities to travel from Ipswich to Stratford in order to continue in their employment.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is transforming into a tax authority fit for the future. It will be located in every region and country of the UK in 13 regional centres, five specialist sites, a head office in London and eight transitional sites. HMRC has announced its clear intention to retain Haven House, Ipswich, as one of these transitional sites until 2027-28. From 2028, it will remain open as a long-term specialist site for HMRC’s Risk and Intelligence Service. Workforce plans continue to evolve but HMRC will retain a significant presence in Ipswich. Moving to regional centres will save around £300 million up to 2025. The Programme will deliver annual cash savings of £74 million in 2025-26, rising to around £90 million from 2028. HMRC recognises the importance of continuity of services to the taxpayer as it moves to the regional centre model. It is minimising disruption by spreading the changes over a number of years. Moves will be phased, avoiding business peaks, and supported with carefully considered migration paths for staff. Regional centres underpin HMRC’s wider transformation plans. Co-locating teams in large, modern offices will allow it to manage its workforce more flexibly making it easier to share resources and work collaboratively. Compliance teams will be able to work together to tackle fraud and evasion irrespective of where it occurs. Mobile compliance taskforces operate throughout the UK, visiting customers wherever they are located. HMRC’s People Equality Impact Assessment, published in June, explains the support HMRC has put in place to minimise the potential impacts of its location strategy on staff, including those with protected characteristics, and makes it clear which risks it needs to monitor most closely.

PAYE

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether people paid monthly for whom April was treated as month one prior to the introduction of Real Time Information (RTI), but for whom May would then be treated as month one after the introduction of RTI were overtaxed as a result of missing out on one month of tax-free pay at the point at which RTI was introduced.

Mel Stride: The introduction of RTI did not result in changes to the tax calendar. The first payment made on or after the 6th April is classed as month 1 and this did not change post RTI. No individuals should have been overtaxed as a result of the implementation.

Tax Avoidance

Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the costs of hiring contractors are not increased as a result of the extension of IR35 off-payroll tax to the private sector.

Mel Stride: The Government recently consulted on how to best tackle non-compliance with the off-payroll working rules (known as IR35) in the private sector and is considering consultation responses. The impact and effect on businesses will depend on the outcome of those consultations. HM Revenue and Customs published independent research on the impact of the April 2017 reform to off-payroll working rules in the public sector. The research found that the majority of public bodies have felt little change in either their ability to fill vacancies or the rates paid to contractors. Link to the independent research:- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/704931/Off-Payroll_Reform_in_the_Public_Sector.pdf

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of calls to the HMRC helpline 0300 200 3300 were answered during July 2018.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of calls to the HMRC helpline 0300 200 3300 were abandoned or not answered during July 2018.

Mel Stride: HMRC does not maintain information for a specifically dialled line. This is because calls can move in and out of the call queue dependant on the answer a customer gives to the questions asked within ITA (Intelligent Telephony Automation) and whether they are subsequently routed to another HMRC line according to the nature of their query. Across all lines of business, in the year up to July 2018 HMRC has dealt with 15.7 million call attempts, answering 85% of calls with an average speed of answer of 04mins 53secs.

Treasury: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total cost to the public purse of  his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: - £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. - £286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf. - Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)

Treasury: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

Robert Jenrick: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor also set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU Exit preparations in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Revenue and Customs: Forms

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken was HMRC to produce proof of employment history for applicants using form HMRC 07/18; what performance targets have been set for HMRC for the production of that evidence; and how many and what proportion of applications did not meet those targets.

Mel Stride: HMRC do not record the number of requests made using the form 07/18. HMRC do not differentiate between Employment History requests made using the HMRC form 07/18 and the requests received using other methods, for example customer letters and verbal requests. HMRC is therefore unable to provide the information requested. HMRC may also receive requests for Employment Histories using this form for customers suffering from mesothelioma. These customers cases are treated as urgent due to the nature of the illness and the HMRC target is to reply to these in 10 working days.

Treasury: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in his Department have been transferred to the (a) Department for Exiting the European Union and (b) Department for International Trade as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Robert Jenrick: Prior to April 2017 the information requested was not held centrally, therefore to provide this information would be at disproportionate cost. I can confirm that from 1st April 2017 14 staff have permanently transferred to the Department for International Trade and 20 staff are currently loaned to the Department for Exiting the European Union.

Electronic Government: Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps have been taken to secure the Government Gateway service from cyber attack.

Mel Stride: The Government Gateway infrastructure has been deployed and developed in line with security principles and best practice. It has also been reviewed by Security Accredited Professionals. In addition, regular health checks and software upgrades are undertaken to maximise system security and reduce vulnerability to cyber-attack.

Multinational Companies: Corporation Tax

Damien Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure multi-national internet-based companies who make profits in Britain pay the appropriate level of tax.

Mel Stride: As set out in its position papers dated 22 November 2017 and 13 March 2018, the government is seeking reform of the international corporate tax framework to ensure digital multinational businesses pay a fair amount of UK corporate tax reflecting the value created by UK users. Pending global reform, the government is working with like-minded countries to explore interim measures to tax digital businesses.

Manufacturing Industries: Capital Investment

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the level of (a) research and development expenditure, and (b) overall investment in UK manufacturing industries in each of the last five years.

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to increase levels of research and development expenditure in UK manufacturing industries.

Robert Jenrick: According to the latest business statistics published by the ONS, the UK manufacturing sector invested £7.6 billion in research and development in 2016, accounting for around a third of privately funded R&D in the UK that year. In 2017, the sector invested £28 billion overall – a 46% increase against the level in 2010. It is important that UK manufacturing continues to pioneer new and innovative advanced manufacturing technologies. In August, the Chancellor of the Exchequer invested £536 million in the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, which, together with the £107 million announced by the Prime Minister at the July Regional Cabinet, means this Government has invested £643 million in supporting British manufacturers to conduct R&D and maintain their position at the cutting-edge of technology. This is possible because Government has invested an additional £7 billion in research and innovation since Autumn 2016 – delivering the biggest increase in public research and development investment for 40 years and demonstrating clear progress towards the Government’s ambition to raise investment in R&D in the economy to 2.4% of GDP by 2027

Offshore Industry: Taxation

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been of (a) subsidies and (b) reductions in tax for North Sea oil and gas companies in the last three years

Robert Jenrick: There are no subsidies available to North Sea oil and gas companies. Estimates of the reduction in taxes paid by North Sea companies due to changes to the tax regime are available from the policy costings documents published alongside each fiscal event on the gov.uk website.

Brexit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Operation Yellowhammer, what assessment he has made of the effect of raising no deal contingency planning costs through internal reprioritisation on the ability of Departments to fulfil existing (a) policy and (b) other commitments.

Elizabeth Truss: At Autumn Budget 2017 the Chancellor announced an additional £3bn of funding for EU Exit preparation. This funding was intended to cover preparations in the event of both a deal and no-deal scenario. Furthermore, as part of the normal course of business Treasury holds contingency reserves to deal with unexpected pressures.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of replicating the ring-fenced funding in EU structural funds in the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Elizabeth Truss: The government will establish a UK Shared Prosperity Fund to strengthen productivity across the UK. Details of the operation and priorities of the Fund will be announced following the Spending Review.

Child Trust Fund

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of lost Child Trust Fund accounts in each (a) nation and (b) region of the UK.

John Glen: HMRC does not have records of, nor have they made any estimations of, CTF accounts where the main contact of the CTF has lost their details, or where the main contact is not aware of the details of their CTF. Although the primary relationship is between the account provider and the child’s parent, if a parent doesn’t know which provider is managing their child’s account, they can use the following online form to trace the account:https://www.gov.uk/child-trust-funds

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority: Finance

Afzal Khan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to allocate additional resources to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority to monitor the new seasonal workers scheme and help protect migrant workers from (a) modern slavery and (b) other abuses.

Elizabeth Truss: This is a matter for the Home Office. Full details of how the seasonal workers pilot will operate will be announced in due course.

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Department will have budgetary responsibility for replacing (a) European Regional Development Fund and (b) European Structural Fund funding for projects in Wales in the event that no deal is reached with the EU on funding for 2019-2020.

Elizabeth Truss: In the unlikely event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement, the UK Government’s guarantee for EU-funded programmes will apply. Under the guarantee, HM Treasury will provide funding to cover Wales’ full structural and investment fund allocation from the EU’s 2014-2020 budget. The Welsh Government will then be responsible for administering payments to beneficiaries.

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of money that will need to be made available to replace all EU funding in Wales for 2019-2021 in the event that no withdrawal agreement is reached with the EU or funding is not covered in that deal.

Elizabeth Truss: In the unlikely event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement, the UK Government’s guarantee for EU-funded programmes will apply. This is providing certainty to UK recipients of EU funding as we prepare to leave the EU. The potential cost of the guarantee will depend on the profile of structural and investment fund commitments and the success rates of organisations bidding for competitive grants.

Insolvency

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made and estimate of the cost to the public purse of companies that are permitted to be dissolved without going through a formal insolvency procedure.

Mel Stride: HMRC does not hold this information because Companies House is responsible for striking companies off the Register of Companies.

Insolvency

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in how many cases HMRC has objected to a company being allowed to be struck off by Companies House for non-filing of accounts; and whether he has made an assessment of the cost to the public purse of companies that have been struck-off and not been subject to formal insolvency procedure in the last five years.

Mel Stride: Information on the number of objections would only be available for 2 years and at disproportionate costs. HMRC does not hold information on the reason for a company being struck off.

Insolvency

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on the effectiveness of HMRC of the removal of its status as a preferential creditor in insolvency under the Enterprise Act 2002.

Mel Stride: HMRC has not undertaken any assessment since its change in its status as a preferential creditor.

Directors: Loans

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the level of additional funds to be raised by HMRC as a result of the treating director’s loan accounts as income in the hands of the director.

Mel Stride: When a close company lends money to a director, the company is generally charged to tax on the amount lent. Analysis carried out in 2016 in relation to the change in the rate of that tax charge can be found at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corporation-tax-rate-of-tax-for-the-loans-to-participators-charge/corporation-tax-rate-of-tax-for-the-loans-to-participators-charge

Bank Services: Complaints

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the number of complaints made to the Financial Ombudsman Service on packaged bank accounts.

John Glen: Government is aware that there have been examples of the mis-selling of packaged accounts and action has already been taken. The Government expects financial services firms to treat their customers fairly, according to the FCA’s Principles for Business. Where a customer feels this has not been the case, the Financial Ombudsman Service plays a valuable role in providing consumers with a swift and effective means of resolving disputes. An effective Ombudsman enhances consumer confidence. This is beneficial for financial markets and for the providers of financial services and products. In 2013, the FCA introduced new rules on packaged bank accounts. These were designed to help customers understand whether the product was right for them. Firms are now required to establish and record whether customers are eligible to claim for each of the insurances in the package. They are also now required to send annual statements, prompting customers to review their eligibility and whether the products continue to meet their needs. The FCA then conducted a thematic review of packaged bank accounts in 2016 and found that there were weaknesses in firms’ complaint handling procedures. The FCA then conducted a further review of these complaint handling procedures and published their findings in July 2017. They found that real improvements had been made, but made some further recommendations on how firms could improve their processes further. As with all financial services products, Government works closely with the Ombudsman and the financial services regulators to ensure that current legislation continues to protect consumers.

Living Wage

Jessica Morden: What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of the national living wage.

Elizabeth Truss: Those on the National Living Wage saw another inflation-beating pay rise with the 4.4% cash increase in April.

NHS: Finance

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on NHS funding.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave earlier to Question no. 3 – PQ UIN 906780

Fiscal Policy: Scotland

Gavin Newlands: What assessment he has made of the effect of the Government’s fiscal policies on household budgets in Scotland.

Mel Stride: The Government publishes distributional analysis of the impact of fiscal policies across the UK income distribution. At Autumn Budget, the Scottish Government benefited from a £2bn boost to their budget. Once the Scotland Act 2016 is fully implemented, more than 50% of the Scottish Government’s funding will come from revenues raised in Scotland. It is for the Scottish Government to take decisions across areas of devolved responsibility, including their own fiscal policy.

Co-operatives: Finance

Preet Kaur Gill: What plans he has to increase fiscal support for the co-operative sector.

Mel Stride: This Government recognises the value of co-operatives and other mutually owned businesses, which are worth more than £36 billion to our economy. Since 2010, the government has reduced the corporation tax rate from 28% to 19% today, which benefits all businesses, including co-operatives, supporting investment, jobs, and growth.

Economic Growth

Chris Green: What steps he is taking to support economic growth.

John Glen: The best way to drive economic growth is to raise productivity. Since 2010, this Government has provided over half a trillion pounds in capital investment, increased investment in skills, and reduced taxes for businesses. Lower taxes provide a strong incentive for businesses to invest in raising their productivity. Tax cuts include reductions to business rates worth over £10bn by 2023, freezing fuel duty for 8 years running, increasing R&D tax credits, and cutting corporation tax.

Infrastructure: Chelmsford

Vicky Ford: What steps he is taking to invest in infrastructure in the Chelmsford area.

Robert Jenrick: Infrastructure investment is at the heart of our strategy to drive productivity growth across the country:Through the £1.4 billion that will be invested as part of the Greater Anglia Franchise, a new fleet of over 1000 vehicles will be delivered by September 2020. The South-East LEP has secured £590 million from the Local Growth Fund for schemes to boost growth and help deliver new housing. £100-250 million will be invested to widen the A12 to provide extra capacity between Chelmsford and Colchester.

EU Budget

Kelvin Hopkins: What steps he is taking to reduce the total net annual financial outflow from the UK to the EU; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The UK and the EU reached an agreement in principle, in December 2017, on the financial settlement for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. This was set out in the Joint Report on progress during Phase 1 of the negotiations. These principles will become legally binding through a Withdrawal Agreement as set out in the Government’s White Paper on legislating for the Withdrawal Agreement, published in July this year. Post-exit, decisions on spending will be made based on domestic priorities, considering the economic environment, the fiscal position and the negotiated outcome.

Financial Services: Technology

Paul Masterton: What assessment he has made of the potential contribution of FinTech to the economy.

John Glen: Fintech contributes more than £6bn to the economy annually, employing 60,000 people across 1,600 companies.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Voluntary Work: Disadvantaged

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to increase volunteering opportunities for people resident in areas of high deprivation.

Tracey Crouch: The Government is committed to enabling people of all backgrounds to contribute their time and talents to their communities through volunteering and social action. The Government supports a number of programmes which enable volunteering opportunities. Examples include the £40m #iwill Fund, which aims to create more opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to volunteer, and the £2.7m Connected Communities Innovation Fund, which aims to tackle barriers to volunteering and mobilise more people to volunteer and support people and places to thrive.

Voluntary Work

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his Department's Community Life Survey 2017-18, published on 26 July 2018, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the decrease in the percentage of people involved in social action in their local area at least once in the last year since 2013-14.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his Department's Community Life Survey 2017-18, published on 26 July 2018, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the decrease in the percentage of people taking part in formal volunteering at least once a month since 2013-14.

Tracey Crouch: The Community Life Survey 2017-18, published on 26 July 2018, reports a 4% decrease in the number of people involved in social action in their local area at least once in the last year since 2013-14, and a 5% decrease in the number of people taking part in formal volunteering at least once a month since 2013-14. As a result of moving from a face-to-face interview to an online form, it is difficult to compare the Community Life Survey 2017-18 with the results from 2013-14 due to potential skews in the types of respondents and the absence of interviewer effects. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has invested significantly in programmes to increase meaningful volunteering and social action. These programmes focus on bringing people together and providing the tools, skills, knowledge and support networks to act as a catalyst for social action to develop (for example, Place Based Social Action, Community Organisers Expansion, Innovation in Democracy, Enabling Social Action).

Voluntary Work: Leave

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to encourage businesses to offer paid volunteering leave for employees.

Tracey Crouch: Volunteering gives people a unique opportunity to shape society and share their skills, and DCMS is working closely with other Government departments, charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises to promote the ways that people can give back to their communities. As a large employer, Government offers its staff three days of paid volunteering leave per year.The current Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has to date not had any meetings with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to discuss how to encourage businesses to offer paid volunteering leave to employees.Government is keen to see greater corporate responsibility on the part of employers and to encourage the public sector, charities and businesses to consider their impact on society.

Radio Frequencies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to approve the funding scheme for users of Programme Making and Special Events equipment to help businesses replace equipment rendered redundant as a consequence of the 700 MHz clearance.

Margot James: The consultation process for the PMSE scheme has been led by Ofcom and is now complete. The funding proposal suggested by Ofcom for this scheme has been backed by the Department. Currently, we are waiting for the Treasury Department to approve this scheme’s funding.

Charities: Pay

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of levels of pay for Chief Executive Officers in the charity sector on levels of public trust in that sector.

Tracey Crouch: Setting executive pay is a matter for a charity’s trustees to determine, acting in the best interests of their charity. In doing so the charity trustees need to consider a number of factors, including securing value for money for the charity, and the impact of their decisions on public trust. Charities should also be transparent about executive pay so that members of the public can decide whether or not they want to support the charity. Larger charities must already report some information on executive pay through their trustees’ annual report. The Charity Commission will update its annual return to require information from charities on executive pay, which will be made more easily accessible to the public on the register of charities. In July 2018, the Charity Commission for England and Wales published a report into public trust and confidence in charities. In the report, the public make clear that transparency about the distribution of funds and the impact of their donations is critical to their trust in charities.

Tourism: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to promote Nottinghamshire as a tourist destination overseas.

Michael Ellis: VisitBritain and VisitEngland are responsible for promoting the UK as a tourist destination, through a range of different initiatives and campaigns. VisitEngland are also in charge of the £40m Discover England Fund which creates innovative, bookable tourism products throughout England which are aimed at specific international markets. These include:Creating England’s Literary Legends which is being led by Visit Nottinghamshire to provide bookable, literary-themed itineraries for US travellers to explore the vast literary history of Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and Shakespeare’ England.The East of England Touring Route seeks to create a 300 mile touring route from London to Northumberland. VisitBritain has also used Nottinghamshire in articles in their Media Centre such as Britain: The Movie Star and Spotlight On: The Midlands and in 2018, one of their multi-national press trips focused on the Nottingham areas, promoting the region to over 8 million readers of the press publications.

Cybercrime: Education

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to roll out its Cyber Schools Programme after the pilot phase has concluded.

Margot James: The government’s Cyber Schools Programme, or Cyber Discovery will roll out across the UK in November 2018. Learning from the pilot year has been factored into plans for year two of the programme. 31,000 students registered for the pilot year with 22,000 taking part in the first stage which gauged students’ aptitude for cybersecurity. Exceptional talent was identified through the following two phases, with approximately 1,000 students meeting the criteria for the Elite phase by the end of the pilot year.

Broadband: Standards

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the economic effect of broadband blackspots in (a) the UK (b) England (c) London and (d) the London Borough of Bexley.

Margot James: The Department has not conducted a specific analysis of the economic impact of poor broadband connectivity in the UK, England, London, or the London Borough of Bexley. We have published a further independent evaluation of the Department’s superfast programme, which has provided superfast broadband access to over 4.85 million homes and businesses across the UK, which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-economic-impact-and-public-value-of-the-superfast-broadband-programme. The Department has analysed the impacts of superfast broadband, including the economic impact. Our 2013 UK Broadband Impact Study and an evaluation in 2015 of the UK's National Broadband Scheme are both available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-broadband-impact-study--2 and www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-national-broadband-scheme-an-independent-evaluation.

Broadband

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the economic effect of broadband blackspots in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Lewisham Deptford constituency.

Margot James: The Department has not conducted a specific analysis of the economic impact of poor broadband connectivity in England, London, or the Lewisham Deptford constituency. We have published a further independent evaluation of the Department’s superfast programme, which has provided superfast broadband access to over 4.85 million homes and businesses across the UK, which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-economic-impact-and-public-value-of-the-superfast-broadband-programme. The Department has analysed the impacts of superfast broadband, including the economic impact. Our 2013 UK Broadband Impact Study and an evaluation in 2015 of the UK's National Broadband Scheme are both available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-broadband-impact-study--2 and www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-national-broadband-scheme-an-independent-evaluation.

Sportsgrounds: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many outdoor sports facilities in the East Midlands have been funded by his Department since January 2016.

Tracey Crouch: The government's sport strategy, Sporting Future, makes clear the importance of providing and maintaining sports facilities for the whole community to use. Since 2016, the government -via Sport England- has invested £34.5 million in facilities and projects in the East Midlands. This includes over £1.1 million specifically into outdoor facilities including pitches, multi-use games areas (MUGAs) and skateparks. Since it launched its Community Asset Fund in 2017, Sport England has invested £950,190 in community sport facilities in the East Midlands

Travel: Single People

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an equality assessment of the single person’s travel supplement.

Michael Ellis: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Office of Fair Trading have examined the question of single person supplements and concluded that wherever there is a reasonable economic case for such charges, decisions should be primarily a matter for the industry.

Slavery: Anniversaries

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to commemorate the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Ellis: The National Museums Liverpool, an Arms Length Body (ALB) of DCMS, through our International Slavery Museum, has run events and activities on this date since 1999. These include the annual Dorothy Kuya Slavery Remembrance Lecture, given in 2018 by Gina Belafonte, civil rights activist and daughter of Harry Belafonte. Additionally the Museums hold an annual walk of remembrance and libation ceremony and a range of educational activities in the International Slavery Museum and around the Royal Albert Dock.

Young People: Mental Health

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the  effect of open access youth work on tackling loneliness in young people; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: Loneliness can affect people at any age. Several studies, most recently by the Office of National Statistics, have found that younger adults aged 16 to 24 are at particular risk of feeling lonely more often. Open access youth work provides safe spaces and trusted people to talk to, therefore government believes this can have a positive impact on tackling loneliness amongst young people.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the total cost to the public purse for his Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Margot James: Work relating to the UK leaving the EU, is an all-of-government operation. Members of staff across the Department provide advice and analysis on EU Exit issues as required. But, given the interactions between EU Exit work and the departments other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate figure of cost.

Digital Economy Act 2017

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timeframe is for section 103 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 to come into force.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce hate speech and harassment on social media.

Margot James: The Government response to the Internet Safety Strategy consultation, published in May 2018, announced our intention to publish a joint DCMS-Home Office White Paper to set out more definitive steps on online harms and safety. As part of the Government response, we published a draft version of our social media code of practice. As required by the Digital Economy Act 2017, we are now consulting with social media providers and others on the code. We will set out further information relating to the code as part of our forthcoming White Paper.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.

Margot James: EU Exit is an all-of-government operation. DCMS is working in close collaboration with other government departments in preparation for the ongoing negotiations by understanding the risks and opportunities of leaving the EU and coordinating planning. Given the interactions between EU exit work and the Department’s other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate figure.

Football: Finance

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings he has had with the Premier League in the last 12 months to discuss funding for grassroots football.

Tracey Crouch: Ministers regularly meet with the Premier League to discuss a variety of matters, including to ensure a healthy proportion of their broadcasting revenues goes to funding grassroots football. For example, up to 2019 the grassroots is benefitting from £100million a year investment from the Premier League. We negotiated this commitment, which is double the previous amount, and is set out in "Sporting Future" the Government's strategy for sport and physical activity. Details of Ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk

Football: Sportsgrounds

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to all-weather football pitches at grassroots level.

Tracey Crouch: Through Sport England we are working in partnership with the FA and the Premier League on a new National Football Facilities Strategy that sets a clear framework for significant investment in football facilities over the next 10 years. The Strategy includes a target of delivering 1000 artificial 3G pitches across the country in that period. These include single site pitches in schools and community areas and multiple pitch sites through the FA Parklife hubs programme.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Staff

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department holds any information on the socio-economic background of people appointed to senior positions in his Department in the last five years.

Margot James: DCMS holds information on the socio-economic background of people appointed to senior positions in his Department in the last three years. This information is recorded on a voluntary basis by senior staff.

Arts

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) financial and (b) other support his Department provides to the creative arts industry.

Michael Ellis: The government strongly believes in the benefits that the arts and creative industries can bring to the UK, both in terms of their social and economic impact. The main way the government supports the sector is through it’s continued investment into the Arts Council England who between 2018 and 2022, will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery. The government has also introduced the theatre and orchestra tax reliefs, among others, to support productions, especially through touring.

Arts

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent estimate his Department has made of the contribution of the creative arts industry to the economy of (a) London and (b) the UK.

Michael Ellis: The arts and creative industries sectors continue to be of vital importance to the UK economy. In the latest estimates published by the department, the creative industries contributed £47 billion to the economy of London and £92 billion to the UK economy in 2016. All published economic estimates for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dcms-sectors-economic-estimates

Medical Records: Data Protection

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that insurance companies request medical reports under the provisions of the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988 instead of Subject Access Requests under the General Data Protection Regulation.

Margot James: If a solicitor is acting on behalf of an insurer and is seeking health information about a prospective customer, these are not subject access requests under the GDPR. Such requests should be made under the Access to Medical Records Act (AMRA) 1988 and standard charges apply.  The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible for regulating compliance with data protection legislation and may consider taking action against insurance companies which fail to comply with the relevant legislation.  The ICO has updated its guidance on Subject Access Requests and this can be viewed on its website at www.ico.org.uk.

Cybercrime: Education

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the development of a cyber security education programme within schools.

Margot James: In addition to the introduction of the new national curriculum for computing, the Government has developed and delivered extra-curricular opportunities to inspire school children and help them learn more of the building blocks needed for a career in cyber security, including the Cyber Schools Programme (Cyber Discovery) and CyberFirst summer courses and competitions. Cyber Discovery launched in November 2017 offering extracurricular cyber security learning for students aged 14-18 years old. It is designed to engage young people in cyber security careers and, in particular, is structured to find and upskill an elite group of future cyber security leaders. It will roll out across the UK in November 2018. Over the summer of 2018, the Government funded over 1,000 residential and non-residential summer course places, delivered over 23 events across mainland UK. The range of courses was designed to inspire children aged between 11-17 years old and given them an opportunity to learn more about cyber. We also ran an online competition specifically aimed at girls to encourage them to consider cyber security as a career. 4,500 students aged between 12-13 from 400 schools entered. We will continue to develop and deliver inspirational cyber security educational programmes for school-age children.

Charities: Equality

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to help improve diversity in the charity sector.

Tracey Crouch: Encouraging greater diversity in the charity starts with ensuring that the sector’s leaders are truly representative of the communities they serve. Last year we worked with the Charity Commission to carry out research into trustees. The Taken on Trust report found that there was a lack of diversity among boards of trustees. In the Civil Society Strategy published last month, the government committed to working with partners in the Charity sector to address this challenge. This work is getting started now and more detail will be available in due course.

Digital Technology

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on the UK's digital technology sector.

Margot James: We are confident that the digital technology sector will continue to go from strength to strength. Research by Dealroom and Tech Nation showed that British tech businesses attracted $7.8bn of funding last year, which was almost double the amount received in 2016 and more than Germany, France and Sweden combined (https://technation.io/news/uk-tech-extends-lead-over-europe/). It is the job of a responsible Government to prepare for all scenarios, including the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal. This does not reflect an increased likelihood of ‘no deal’. We have engaged with the digital technology sector to understand the potential effect of all scenarios. As part of ‘no deal’ preparations we are now publishing a series of technical notices which will advise organisations on potential courses of action to take in the unlikely event of ‘no deal’ with the EU. With the first batch already published, areas such as data protection will follow shortly. We firmly believe it is in the interests of both the EU and the UK to strike a deal. That remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved.

Broadband and Mobile Phones

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to improve mobile and broadband coverage.

Margot James: DCMS has already made superfast broadband available to more than 95% of the country through its Superfast programme, and at least a further 2% is likely to be achieved. Of which, 340,000 premises (over 1% of premises) are contracted to be delivered by March 2019. In those areas where decent broadband is not available, we are introducing a broadband Universal Service Obligation so that by 2020 everyone across the UK will have a clear, enforceable right to request high-speed broadband of at least 10 Megabits per second. We will keep the speed and quality parameters under review to make sure that it keeps pace with consumers' evolving needs. My Department created the Barrier Busting Taskforce who are working closely with local authorities and suppliers on removing obstacles that are preventing the widespread commercial deployment of full fibre connectivity.  Working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG ) we introduced 5-year business rates relief for new fibre installation. By enabling 100% business rates relief for operators who install new fibre on their networks, this will provide an incentive for operators to invest in the broadband network. The Department also recently published a Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, which sets out our strategy to enable the roll out full fibre networks to 15 million premises by 2025 and achieve nationwide coverage by 2033. This strategy follows the creation of the Local Full Fibre Networks Programme last year, which is designed to stimulate commercial investment in full fibre networks in both rural and urban locations across the whole of the UK. On Mobile services, the Government is committed to ensuring that the UK has good quality, consistent mobile connectivity where people live, work and travel. My Department is also working across Government, and with others, to ensure delivery of our manifesto commitment to secure 95% geographic coverage of the UK by 2022.Alongside this work, we welcome the opportunity that Ofcom's proposed 700MHz auction presents to improve mobile coverage across the UK, including in rural area. On 5G the Government is committed to providing the world-class digital infrastructure the UK needs to compete and grow in the modern economy. The Government’s 5G aims are to be a world leader in and to ensure that the majority of the population have access to a 5G signal by 2027.

Youth Services

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to enable young people to participate in open access youth work.

Tracey Crouch: The provision of open access youth services in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government. Government recognises the transformational impact that open access youth work can have especially for young people facing multiple barriers of disadvantage, that is why we have invested £40m in the Youth Investment Fund to boost open access youth services in 6 disadvantaged areas and expect over 300,000 young people to benefit. However Local Authorities in England have a statutory duty to provide sufficient open access services in their area. We believe they are best placed to know what is required in their communities. The Government announced in the Civil Society Strategy its commitment to reviewing the guidance which sets out the statutory duty placed on local authorities to provide appropriate local youth services. Further announcements will be made in due course.

Railways: Fares

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of recent changes in the cost of train travel on sports fans.

Tracey Crouch: The Government sets the limit by which train operators can increase regulated rail fares in line with July’s retail price index (RPI). This limit will be 3.2% in 2019. The Government monitors how rail fares change, and keeps under review the way fare levels are calculated. We also welcome and encourage measures by sports clubs that acknowledge and take account of the wider financial burden on travelling supporters.

Youth Services: Higher Education

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of youth work courses offered by higher education institutions; and what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to encourage more students to take up those courses in higher education.

Tracey Crouch: The Department for Education holds the responsibility for encouraging students to take up courses offered by higher education institutions and it is the responsibility of Universities and Colleges to offer higher education courses in response to the need and demand of learners. Government recognises the value higher education plays in young people’s lives and acknowledges how formal and informal educational opportunities work together to improve outcomes and opportunities for learners.

Voluntary Work: Pilot Schemes

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to introduce its Innovation in Democracy pilots; and what steps he is taking to ensure that pilots relating to (a) citizens’ juries and (b) other forms of face-to-face deliberation are representative of the areas in which they take place.

Tracey Crouch: The Innovation in Democracy Programme (IiDP) will involve citizens in decision making at local government level through innovative models of participatory democracy and will be launching in late 2018. Participating local authorities will be piloting Citizens’ Juries to open up a decision they have to make to citizen deliberation. One of the key elements of a Citizens’ Jury is that they are made up of a random selection of the local population accounting for age, ethnicity, gender and potentially other characteristics. This means that the Jury is truly representative of the demographics of the area in which it takes place. The Local Authorities will be supported in this by a Democracy Support Contractor (to be appointed) who will assist them in designing and implementing a process that works for their context, as well as funding to cover costs.

Broadband

Bill Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what timetable he has in place for spending the £190 million allocated to the roll-out of full-fibre broadband.

Margot James: The £190m Local Full Fibre Networks Programme’s Challenge Fund will be allocated directly to local bodies. As a condition of the grant agreement, all funding allocated to local bodies will need to be spent by the end of March 2021. Each local body will operate as the delivery lead for their project, so the timetable for spending their funding prior to this deadline will vary for each project according to their delivery schedule.

Charitable Donations

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government plans to take to support legacy giving to raise more funds for good causes.

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his August 2018 Civil Society Strategy, what plans the Government has to support legacy giving.

Tracey Crouch: As outlined in the Civil Society Strategy, this Government aims to ensure that it is as easy and compelling as possible for everyone to give to the causes they most care about. In recognition of the importance of legacy giving, the Government offers a reduced rate of inheritance tax for individuals leaving charitable gifts. We also strongly support the Institute of Fundraising’s Remember a Charity campaign, for example The Minister for Sport and Civil Society recently took direct action to encourage more legacy giving, urging solicitors to join the campaign and discuss leaving a gift with their clients. We plan to continue this support and to work with other organisations to raise awareness of legacy giving and the incentives to leave a gift in a will.

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government took to actively encourage young people to apply to be a board member for the National Citizen Service Trust; and how many of those positions will be reserved for young people.

Tracey Crouch: DCMS endeavour to ensure that a diverse field of candidates apply to Public Appointments campaigns in order to meet the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty. As a result, Ministers are presented with a choice of appointable candidates whose skills, experience and qualities meet the needs of the required roles The NCS Trust board member roles were advertised on the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website, the NCS Trust website and other channels and networks used for DCMS appointments, as well as on social media. Given the need to fill multiple Board positions, and the importance of attracting a diverse pool of applicants, we worked closely with the NCS Trust to identify a variety of other channels specific to the requirements of these roles and to endeavour to attract a diverse field of candidates In addition, NCS Trust has an extensive national youth board network, via which the views of young people across the country are heard at all levels across the NCS Trust. Representatives from the youth board regularly attend the full Board meetings.

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that board members of the National Citizen Service Trust are actively involved in the recommissioning process of delivery partners for NCS in 2020 and beyond.

Tracey Crouch: The recommissioning of NCS provider contracts in 2020 gives a key opportunity to make efficiencies and drive down costs, which will further improve value for money for the taxpayer. We are working closely with the NCS Trust on the recommissioning programme, and all contracts will be awarded by the new National Citizen Service Trust Royal Charter Body. The recommissioning process and the award of contracts is a Board level matter, and as such the current NCS Trust Board provide direction and scrutiny to the process.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Government has spent on independent evaluations of the National Citizen Service programme since the launch of that programme.

Tracey Crouch: Departmental records show that £3,330,000 has been allocated to evaluation since the creation of the National Citizen Service in 2011.

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2018 to Question 163143 on National Citizen Service Trust, how many workshops were delivered to young people during Summer 2018 in collaboration with the Parliament Education Service; where those workshops were held; how many people attended those workshops; and whether there are plans for similar workshops in the future.

Tracey Crouch: Around 85% of NCS programmes this year include activities with an explicit focus on political and democratic engagement. The Parliament Education Service (PES) are just one of the partners who help to deliver this content, but they alone reached 11,000 young people across the country this Summer (data is not held centrally on the locations of these workshops). Furthermore, the NCS Trust Extension Team is also working with Bite the Ballot to support NCS graduates to engage with National Democracy Week in 2019. The NCS Trust are in the process of revamping programme quality and planning frameworks, which will set an expectation that all NCS programmes will feature sessions designed to improve political and democratic outcomes (as per the requirement in the NCS Royal Charter). Specialist partners such as PES and Bite the Ballot will be invited to help develop the related guidance.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of funding for the National Citizen Service will be ring fenced for a dedicated Inclusion Fund.

Tracey Crouch: Due to a live procurement process and the commercial sensitivities of the recommissioning programme, information of this kind is not made publically available.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total cost to the public purse of her Department’s work preparing for the UK to leave the EU has been since 23 June 2016.

Mr Shailesh Vara: HM Treasury has allocated over £2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf. Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on 13 March.https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/

Northern Ireland Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.

Mr Shailesh Vara: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor set aside £1.5 billion of additional funding for EU Exit preparations in 2019/20. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be announced in due course.

Northern Ireland Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost to the public purse has been of her Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Shailesh Vara: This information is not available as we do not account for costs in that way. Details of the Department’s expenditure is available in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications.

Devolution: Northern Ireland

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans she has for the form of further talks aimed at restoring devolution.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s statement to the House of 6 September set out our clear plan for restoring the Northern Ireland Executive as soon as possible. We intend to introduce primary legislation after the conference recess to provide for a limited and prescribed period in which there will be no legal requirement to set a date for a further election. Importantly, during this period, an Executive may be formed at any point without the requirement for further legislation. The Secretary of State will shortly be engaging in further discussions with the parties and the Irish Government, in accordance with the three stranded approach, with the intention of establishing a basis for moving into more formal political dialogue aimed at the restoration of the institutions. These discussions will also seek the views from the parties on when and how external facilitation could play a constructive role in the next round of talks.

NHS: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she is taking to ensure that in the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive NHS staff in Northern Ireland receive pay awards equivalent to those of NHS staff in other constituent parts of the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The UK Government has made the NHS its top spending priority. The Prime Minister recently pledged an additional £20.5 billion to the NHS by 2024, which means an extra £760 million a year by 2023/34 for Northern Ireland under the Barnett formula. In the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive, it remains for the NICS to implement the NI departmental budgetary allocations flowing from the NI Block Grant.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Members

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for what reasons the salaries of MLAs have not been reduced; and what the timescale is for reducing those salaries.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Northern Ireland Assembly Members (Pay) Act 2018 enables the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to, by way of determination, vary the pay of MLAs while the Executive is not present. The Secretary of State has already exercised that power to halt the planned £500 MLA pay rise, and on 6 September she announced that she will, by way of determination, exercise that power again to bring forward a two stage 27.5% reduction of MLA pay. The first reduction will come into effect from November.

Prosecutions: Northern Ireland

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many legacy cases from the Troubles in Northern Ireland are (a) currently being and (b) are due to be brought to court in the next 12 months; and how many of those cases involve the prosecution of present or former (i) service personnel, (ii) police or other security forces, (iii) republican terrorists and (iv) loyalist terrorists.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government does not hold figures on prosecutorial decisions as this is a matter for the prosecuting authorities, in this case the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland who act independently of Government.We are aware, however, that since 2011 the following decisions have been taken in relation to offences connected to the security situation in Northern Ireland that took place prior to the signing of the Belfast Agreement on 10 April 1998:There have been seven prosecutions of republican paramilitaries. Of the five concluded cases there have been two convictions, one acquittal and two cases in which proceedings were discontinued (one following the death of the defendant). Two cases are currently active; There have been four prosecutions related to alleged loyalist paramilitary activity. Convictions have been secured in two cases and two cases are currently active; There have been three prosecutions of soldiers with one ‘no prosecution’ decision currently under review. All of these cases are currently active.

Prime Minister

Members: Correspondence

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister, when she plans to respond to the letter sent by the Hon. Member for Wrexham on 21 February 2018 reference ZA21109 on modern slavery.

Mrs Theresa May: A reply has been sent by my Hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability and Minister for Women.